Stigma
by shadowroxas101
Summary: After a visit to a new world, Roxas conrtacts geostigma. Will the blonde just give up and die, or will he fight for survival? Yaoi: Akuroku and some Zemyx.
1. Chapter 1

Stigma

Chapter 1

"Dammit Axel!"

I could hear the redhead snicker from the hallway. Written in huge, bright red letters, in what I believe to be permanent marker, the words 'PROPERTY OF AXEL' were plastered on my forehead. My blue eyes were hard at I glared at the words in the bathroom mirror.

_I'm going to KILL him._

Heaving an annoyed sigh, I retrieved a washcloth from the counter and ran it under some scalding hot water. Then I proceeded to scrub vigorously at the infuriating mark. Luckily it hadn't been permanent and it came off after about ten minutes.

Muttering a few curse words under my breath, I trudged down the stairs into the kitchen. Hopefully there would still be food. Some of the guys in the Organization were practically savages when it came to breakfast, and that included Axel among others. As I stepped through the doorway, I was met with muffled giggles and occasional snorts from Demyx and Axel. I shot the two a quick glare and went to the freezer to get some waffles.

"Good morning Roxas, Axel, Demyx!"

I turned and smiled as Xion walked in. She was one of the few Organization members I actually liked, let alone could tolerate. "Morning Xion," I greeted politely.

Her dark brows drew together, and she took a step closer to analyze my face. "Roxas, what happened to you," she questioned curiously, "Your forehead's really red."

Axel and Demyx snickered again, and I shot them another glare. "It's nothing," I growled, "Oh, hey, do you know if Saix started handing out mission assignments yet?"

Xion shook her head. "No, I haven't been downstairs yet, but I don't think he has."

"Good," I sighed, relieved. Saix had been riding me pretty hard lately. For the past two weeks it's been nothing but, 'Roxas, make sure to fill your quota', and, 'Roxas, you're working a double shift today, make sure to fill your quota'. I couldn't tell you how glad I would be to get a day off, or at least explore a new world or something. Anything other than just collecting hearts.

Xion gave me a sympathetic smile and joined the other two at the table. I snatched my freshly toasted waffle and sauntered back up to my room, giving the redhead a much needed and rightly deserved smack on the back of the head along the way. I couldn't see his face, but I could tell he wasn't too pleased with me judging from the protested whine and the mumbled cursing. AH SUCCESS!

Locking the door behind me, I flopped onto my bed and pulled out my PSP. I have absolutely no idea why we even have locks on our doors to begin with. Organization members come and go as they please. A locked door isn't going to stop them, though I figured it would at least slow them down. I wanted to do everything in my power to make the most of my free time.

After a few minutes I gave up on God of War, and switched to my PS3 to play Assasin's Creed. Yes, I was entirely devoted to Sony, and absolutely despised Xbox and Nintendo. I didn't bother to look up as a dark portal materialized in my room, and a very annoyed Axel stepped through.

"That hurt ya know," he huffed and plopped down next to me.

"Shut up ya big wuss," I muttered, totally engrossed in my video game, "You totally deserved it, and since when am I your 'property'?"

"Since I claimed your adorable little ass as my own," Axel grinned, stalking slowly toward me on all fours like some sort of jungle cat. Before I could blink he takled me to the bed, pinning my arms and legs to the mattress.

"Ugh, Axel. AXEL! Mmh, mmph!" I protested and tried to wriggle free, but he crushed his lips to my own, dashing any hope of escape. It was pointless to struggle, so I did the only thing I could; I paused my game and wrapped my arms around the redhead's neck, grabbing fist fulls of crimson hair and pulling him close.

After a minute or so he pulled away, a cocky smirk etched on his face. "Told ya so."

I snorted and shoved the overly confident redhead off of me, then returned to my game. It was about a half an hour before we were interrupted as another dark portal appeared in my room. Accept, only this time, I did acknowledge the person that stepped through.

""Hey Sai," Axel greeted nervously as the cerulean haired male glared at us.

"You two should have been downstairs a long time ago," Saix chided, "Axel, you need to go to Twilight Town for recon. Roxas..." he pulled out his clipboard and flipped through the pages until he came to the desired paper, "you'll be exploring a new world today; a place called 'Midgar'. Keep in mind while you're there that you'll still be performing heart collection as well."

"Y-yes sir," I stuttered and jumped off my bed, careful to keep my eyes locked with his so he didn't think I was disrespecting him by looking away.

"Good. I'll expect you both to leave immediately. Don't make me come and get you next time or there will be consequences, of which I'll ensure you won't be too fond of." With one last hard stare, he turned on his heel and walked back through the portal he came in. Axel and I exchanged a quick glance and began cracking up.

"Man, for a second there, I thought we were in some deep shit," the redhead laughed, extremely relieved.

"Same here," I chuckled, "I'm just glad I get to do something other than **just** heart collection."

"Yeah, have fun at that new world. Just hope it's not like the last one."

I shuddered at the thought. The last new world I was sent to turned me into a lion cub. It was a week before I stopped coughing up hairballs and chasing Saix's lazer pointer during the meetings. I'm positive he's still pissed at me for that.

"Thanks," I sighed and gave him a quick peck on the lips, "Have fun with recon."

"Don't remind me," he grumbled. We both laughed and went our separate ways.

* * *

Hey people of fanfiction!

This has been chapter one of my BRAND NEW story! And I'm proud to say I ACTUALLY know where this one is going! Yeah, I have a rough draft and everything... Not to say I don't know where my others are going, but you know...

SO! Please review, I am eager to hear from you. I will actually be sure to acknowledge everyone who does at the beginning of my next chapter to show how much I appreciate your input. Thank you all SO much!


	2. Chapter 2

Before we get started, I wanted to give a special thanks to digichao, kingdomheartslover13 and HoneybeeX for reviewing my first chapter. Thank you all, and I hope you enjoy this chapter as well as those to come.

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Chapter 2

Stepping through the darkness, I was surprised to find myself in front of some sort of run down church. I'd imagine that it was probably once a magnificent display of gothic architecture, but over the years decayed to the sorry state it was currently in. Not only that, but the building was also surrounded by mounds of garbage and piles of other debris. It was a little sad seeing something this beautiful tossed aside and forgotten over the ages. I hesitated for a moment, debating on whether to enter or not.

_Well, Saix did tell me I needed to explore. _

Sucking up my uncertainty, I hopped up the steps and pushed open the heavy, wooden door. "Hello?" I called nervously, peeking my head inside. No one seemed to be around, so I creapt in. The building was just as elegant on the inside as it had been on the outside, though it was also just as decrepit. Someone obviously lived here, however. What looked to be a quickly thrown together bed lay in the corner of the room. There was also a kerosene lamp and a large, metal chest sitting close by. Light shone through a gaping hole in the ceiling, illuminating a small garden at the front of the room. I knelt down and admired the small, but beautiful white and yellow flowers, inhaling their sweet aroma.

_Alright, time to get back to work._

I sighed and pushed myself to my feet, brushing some dust from my coat. Just then, a familiar chill ran down my spine. I froze and summoned my keyblade, closing my eyes and focusing purely on the soft sound of claws scraping across the ground. There were seven. I didn't need to look to know that there were four shadows and three neoshadows hunting me; quietly inching their way closer. As soon as they came within striking distance, I whipped around and cast a fire spell sending one of the shadows flying. The other six lunged at me, claws poised for battle. With a single fluid motion I sliced clean through the rest, not even breaking a sweat.

_Well, that was fun. *sarcasm* _I stretched and scratched the back of my head; a habit I probably picked up from Axel.

"That was pretty good." I jumped at least a foot in the air at the sound of the unknown voice and whipped around to see an older male casually strolling up behind me. He was clad in what looked to be black leather, and wearing a dark turtle neck. There was only one sleeve, so I guessed he had something to hide underneath. His golden hair spiked out in a sort of organized chaos, much like mine, but his sky blue eyes were much lighter, and they even had a tinge of green to them. All in all he was a rather attractive man; and I'm not saying that just because he looks like me. However, even with all these little details, his most prominent feature was the enormous sword he was weilding. The fact that he was carrying a weapon put me on edge, and I tensed myself for battle.

"It's been a while since I've seen anyone fight like that," the older male's voice was monotone as he leaned his blade against one of the pieus. _I guess that means he's not going to fight me. _I sighed quietly in relief and relaxed my tense muscles. "So what're you doin here?"

"Oh, uh..." I stuttered nervously, "I'm sorry. I was just curious as to what was in here, then I ran into those things. I'm really sorry, I didn't mean to intrude. I'll just go now." I darted toward the door and pushed it open, finding it easier than it had been the first time.

"Hey," the man called just as I was about to leave, "Be careful. There's far worse things out there than just heartless."

That last word caught my attention and stopped me in my tracks. I turned back to the older blonde and gave him a quizzical look, "You...know about the heartless?"

"Yeah," he replied; his voice still not wavering from that continuous monotone, "I've been takin out all the ones I find in the area. I guess I must've missed a few."

"Oh," I nodded in surprise. _If he's got everything, I guess there's really no reason for me to be here. _"Hey, you mind if I ask...do you live here?" I was genuinely curious. I wanted to know why he chose here of all places, but I didn't want to seem rude.

"This _is_where I come to sleep, and all my stuff is here, so yeah...I guess." There was kind of an awkward silence as the older blonde began rummaging through his things. He pulled out a waterbottle and tossed it to me. "So what's your name?"

"Uh, Roxas," I answered shakily as I caught it with an incredible lack of grace.

"Cloud."

"It was nice to meet you, Cloud," I smiled politely, then turned to leave, "but I really have to go. Thanks for the water." He gave a lethargic wave and I trotted out the door.

Since there weren't any heartless, I casually wandered the streets, taking in the sights; or lack of. I couldn't help but notice how many children there were, sleeping in alleyways and conning peolpe out of money and food. _They must be orphans, _I thought, stopping to take a swig out of the water Cloud gave me. Just as I was about to take a drink, a couple of kids came along and knocked it out of my hands.

"I'm so sorry," the little boy ran up to me, followed closely by a younger girl; both probably around eight or nine. "We were playing tag, and we didn't see you."

"It's okay," I chuckled, wiping the water from my coat, "I don't blame you, I should've been watching where I was going."

"Here," it caught me by surprise when both of them took me by the hands and led me down the street, "let us make it up to you. I know where you can buy some more water." I wanted to protest, but they really looked like they wanted to apologize. The last thing I wanted to do was hurt their feelings by declining their hospitality, so I followed them. Not a block away, there was a small stand with a couple of kids selling water and other supplies. Then it hit me. _I think I've just been the victim of a scam._

"Here you go, sir," the little girl smiled sweetly and handed me a cup of water.

"Thanks," I replied, returning the smile, then took a swig. Even though I knew I'd just been conned, I wanted to help these kids out. It must be hard living on the streets with no family to take care of you. "There you go."

A huge smile spread across her face as I handed her ten thousand munny. "Oh thank you, sir! Thank you!" she exclaimed and glomped me, then ran off to show the other kids.

I sighed heavily, then grinned to myself. That was all the munny I had earned in the past three months, and I just gave it away. Oh well. That was my good deed for the day. After wandering for another hour or so, I had had enough and opened a portal. Saix wasn't going to be too happy when he found out I hadn't collected any hearts, but I really didn't care. All I wanted to do was relax for a bit with Axel and Xion then go to bed. I was exhausted!

"Hey guys," I chirped as I strolled along the top of the clock tower. We kind of made it a ritual to meet at the here in Twilight Town for sea-salt icecream after every mission. This was what I looked forward to everyday; talking and laughing with my best friend and my boyfriend.

"Hi Roxas," Xion smiled as I took a seat between her and Axel, "How was the mission?"

"It was alright," I shrugged, "I met a guy named Cloud, and he looks just like me, only older and more emo."

"I didn't think anyone could get more emo than you," Axel chuckled and mussed my hair. I growled and gave him a swift punch in the arm.

"Really?" Xion grinned, "Cause I always thought Zexion was the emo king."

"Good point," Axel nodded, then turned back and captured me in a vice-like headlock, "But Roxie's still a close second." I snorted and elbowed the cocky bastard in the stomach, forcing him to release his grip.

"But other than that, it was pretty uneventful. What about you guys?"

"Same old, same old," the redhead shrugged and handed me some ice cream.

"Yeah, nothing exciting happened with me either," Xion sighed.

We hung out for a while longer and chatted before heading back to the castle.

"So Rox, what d'ya wanna do now?" Axel grinned seductively, wrapping his arms around my waist, and nipping playfully at my neck and earlobe.

"Not tonight, Ax," I sighed, taking off my coat, "I really feel like shit." The redhead pouted and took a seat on the edge of my bed. The sight made me laugh. I plopped onto his lap and kissed his jawline around his ear, then wrapped my arms around his neck. "You're such a baby. Now get outta here, I need to get some sleep."

"Alright," he chuckled and ruffled my hair, "See you tomorrow then." I smiled and gave him a quick kiss before he went back to his room.

I curled up under the covers and closed my eyes, trying hard not to think of how horrible I felt. _Shit, I hope I didn't get sick. That's the last thing I need right now, what with Saix all over my case and everything. _I didn't dwell on the thought for long. I figured I'd go to work anyway, no matter how crappy I felt, and I'd do the best I can so Saix would get off my back.

(Axel POV)

"Hey Dem. Hey Zex," I yawned as I strolled into the mission room, "Guys?" They didn't bother to greet me; too busy making out to even acknowledge my existence.

"Axel!"

I jumped nearly a foot in the air at the sound of the angered growl. "Geex Sai, you tryin' to give me a heart attack?" I gasped, clutching my chest.

The other simply snorted at my attempt at humor. "You know I don't enjoy your type of 'comedy', Axel. Now where is Roxas?"

"I dunno. I haven't seen 'em this morning. Why?"

"Not that it's vital for you to know, but number XIII didn't meet his quota yesterday," Saix muttered, glancing at his clipboard, "So today, you'll be accompanying him to Halloween Town for heart collection. Make sure he meets the required amount or you'll both be in trouble."

"Yes sir!" I grinned and saluted the older male.

He raised a suspicious eyebrow, then turned to the lovebirds on the sofa. "Demyx! Zexion!" The two jumped, startled apart from their little make out session, "Get to work!"

"Yes Saix," the slated haired male nodded and hurried off, yanking Demyx along behind him. I chuckled at the sight of Zexion actually looking scared, and headed off to retrieve the little blonde.

_I wonder what's up with Roxas. He doesn't normally sleep in this late. Then again, he did look pretty wiped yesterday._

"Hey Rox?" I called, rapping on the door to his room. There was no answer. I cracked the door and peeked inside, "Roxas?" The soft sound of snoring permeated the room, and the lump on the bed shifted slightly. _Huh, I guess he is still asleep. _I sauntered over and plopped onto the edge of the bed. "Roxas. Rooxaas," he whined as I gently shook his shoulder. He was so adorable when he slept, I hated to wake him. It took a few more shakes, but he finally opened his eyes and sat up.

"Hey Axel," he yawned, rubbing his eyes, "W-what time is it?"

"Time for you to get up," I smirked and ruffled his hair, "We gotta to go to work. Saix gave us an assignment together."

"That's awesome," he yawned again and smiled weakly, "Now get outta my room so I can shower."

"Why do I gotta leave?" I retaliated, "There's a door to your bathroom, ain't there?"

He grinned and punched me playfully in the shoulder. "I just don't want to risk some crazy pedo redhead walkin in on me, now leave. The longer you stay the more we risk getting an angry visit from Saix."

"Alright," I sighed, raising my arms defensively and backing toward the door. The last thing I saw before closing the door was a smirk and a dismissive head shake.

(Roxas POV)

As soon as the door clicked shut, I groaned and buried my face in my hands. I know I said this earlier, but I really feel like shit. The room spun slightly, and everything had a sort of white backdrop to it, as if everything was glowing. _Alright, you gotta get up, _I ordered myself; the voice in my head sounding strangely like Saix. I sighed and flipped my feet over the edge of the bed. Suddenly, my vision flashed white and my sense of balance was completely thrown off kilter.

"Woah," I gasped, cradling my head with one hand and supporting myself on the bed frame with the other, "Got up WAY too fast there." It took a moment for me to regain my composure. Once my vision returned to, somewhat normal, I **slowly **got to my feet and headed into the bathroom.

I stripped out of my shirt and took a quick glance in the mirror as I waited for the water to heat up. My eyes were bloodshot and I was a little pale. _I wonder why Axel didn't say anything, _I thought to myself as I tentatively touched my face. _Damn, I look horrible. _My gaze dropped from my face and stopped at an odd, bruise-like mark on the upper left part of my chest where I'd imagine my heart would be. It was pretty large, about the size of a grapefruit, and I wondered how I hadn't noticed it earlier.

"Hm...I guess I must've gotten this yesterday," I muttered to myself, "But I don't remember ever getting injured." My thoughts were interrupted as a sudden dizziness swept over me, and the room started to spin once again. I clung to the counter for support. _Okay, now I'm positive something's wrong with me. _An overwhelming nausea also set in, and I quickly clasped my hand over my mouth to keep myself from puking on the floor. That probably wasn't such a good idea on my part. As soon as my hand left the counter, the other slipped and the room went black.

"Roxas! Roxas, wake up!"

I groaned and gradually forced my eyelids open. My head stung and throbbed, and my vision was blurry. As the world slowly came into focus, I found myself gazing up at a panic stricken Axel, my head cradled in his arms. "A-Axel?" I groaned, "What happened?"

"Hell if I know," he gasped, clearly relieved, "I heard a loud bang and found you bloodied and unconcious on the floor with a huge gash in your head." I gingerly moved my hand to the part of my head that hurt the worst and found it was oozing some sort of liquid. I took my hand away to examine it and found the liquid was blood. It was all over the floor and the part of the counter where I'd hit my head. The cut wasn't deep, but it was bleeding profusely. I probably didn't even need stitches, just a large bandage.

"I guess I must've slipped and hit my head on the counter," I lied, putting pressure on my wound. I didn't want to alarm the redhead any more than he already had been by telling him I was sick. I'd already made up my mind when I told myself I'd go on the mission today, no matter what, so I wasn't going to have Axel drag me to the infirmary over something that was probably just a bad cold, or a stomach bug.

Axel placed a supporting hand on my back as I propped myself up into a sitting position, then helped to lift me to my feet. After much persuasion, I finally convinced him the injury was nothing and that I was still well enough to go on the mission, but only after he patched me up. I sat perfectly still and waited patiently as he cleaned and bandaged the wound.

"You're sure you don't want to stay here and get checked out?" Axel prodded once again.

"I told you I can't do that," I sighed in annoyance, "I'm already in enough trouble with Saix as it is. Besides, I already told you I'm fine, now let's go." Axel gave me one last look of concern before opening up a pathway through the darkness.

(Axel POV)

As much as I wanted the little guy to stay home, I figured it would be easiest to just let him go. Besides, I'd be there to keep an eye on him and make sure nothing goes wrong.

* * *

Hi! Thanks again to the people that reviewed my last chapter. There weren't that many but the ones I got made me smile.

Please Review, I love to hear from you!


	3. Chapter 3

Once again, I'd like to give a special thanks to everyone who reviewed my last chapter; HoneybeeX and kingdomheartslover13. not a lot, but thank you none the less. I really appreciate it, and hope to see more!

I hope to get even more reviews as I get further into the story.

* * *

Chapter 3

As we stepped out of the portal, we found ourselves in Halloween Town; a creepy place where the citizens are just as freaky, if not freakier, than even the local cemetery. There were always tons of heartless here, making it one of the prime locations for heart retrieval.

I took a quick glance down at the little blonde standing next to me. He really did look terrible, and after that whole head injury thing, I was looking for any excuse to send him home.

Roxas must've felt my eyes on him, because he looked up with a stern expression and growled, "Okay, how many times am I going to have to tell you I'm fine before you actually believe me?"

"After you get the color back in your face, and once your injury heals; that's when I'll believe you," I said with a tender smirk, patting him on the back.

The blonde shook his head dismissively and turned away, "You're an idiot sometimes, you know that?" He muttered something else under his breath and wealked away.

_I'm just worried about you. Is that such a bad thing?_

I sighed and began following him down the path leading outside of town. Why was he so adamant about staying at a distance? It's not like I was tying him to a sick bed and force feeding him medicine. The least he could do is let me worry about him without clawing my eyes out.

(Roxas POV)

I was not in the mood to listen to Axel prattle on with his questions regarding my well being. It was hard enough trying to maintain my equilibrium and keep from puking everywhere to deal with the overly concerned redhead at the moment. Thankfully it wasn't nearly as bad as earlier, and I was able to put on a convincing facade. In fact, I may actually be able to even kill a few heartless.

The path lead to a dead and barren forest; no signs of life anywhere. Even the trees were bone dry. This was one of the prime locations for heartless to hang out, and I wanted to get this over with quickly.

"Come on, Ax," I called behind me, rather annoyed with how slow the older male was being, "If you don't keep up, we'll be here all day."

Suddenly, another of those all too familiar chills ran down my spine. In a quick flash of light I summoned my keyblade, tensing for battle. The action made my head spin slightly, but I shook it off trying to focus all my attention on the invisible enemy. They were here, I just couldn't tell where. My brain was too foggy for me to get an accurate read on their location, and it was pissing me off.

"Roxas, behind you!"

I turned at the sound of Axel's warning, but not nearly quick enough. The next thing I knew, I was desperately trying to pick myself up off the ground; a sharp pain coursing through my side from where the heartless' claws tore through flesh. Unfortunately, I was making absolutely no progress. My arms would buckle underneath me every time; there was no way in hell I was getting back up. All I could do was watch hopelessly as the heartless stalked toward me, poised to strike. I braced myself as they lunged at me, tightly shutting my eyes so I wouldn't have to watch as they ripped me open with their claws.

When no pain came, I hesitantly cracked an eyelid to find Axel guarding me protectively. The dark creatures had drawn back, but were preparing another attack. Not even bothering to bat an eyelash, Axel summoned an enormous wall of flames to shield us. The attack instantly vaporized the unsuspecting creatures, reducing them to little more than charcoal. Any remaining heartless fled immediately, leaving the redhead and I alone in the quiet wilderness.

"Rox, are you okay?" the older male rushed to my side and knelt down beside me. It looked as though he were debating on whether or not to touch me the way he held his hands tentatively in the air above me.

"Yeah, just a scratch," I replied, "I should be okay." I clutched at the wound as blood dripped to the forest floor. It was pretty deep, but it was nothing I couldn't handle.

As the red head helped me to my feet, I was suddenly overcome with an intense dizziness. My vision turned white, and it felt as though the world was yanked out from underneath me. I could feel myself falling, as well as the redhead's grip on my body tightening. That was the very last thing I remembered from that night; the rest was merely a blur.

(Axel POV)

Luckily I managed to catch him before he fell, and held him close to my body. He clung to my coat to try and keep from toppling over as he began to sway from side to side.

"I don't feel so good," the little blonde muttered incoherently.

"Dammit," I growled, lifting him bridal style, "We need to get you back home."

"But, what about the mission?"

"Screw the mission!" Roxas jumped slightly at my outburst, "I'd much rather have Saix pissed at me than having to explain your death to Xemnas." He didn't protest; simply snuggled closer to my body.

I cursed at myself as I trudged through the forest back to the portal. I'd completely spaced opening a new one before I picked Roxas up, and the last thing I was going to do was set him down. That meant my hands were occupied so opening a new passageway was impossible, and it was at least a twenty minute hike back to the one we came through.

"A-Axel," Roxas whispered, his voice shaky, "I-I'm c-c-cold." I stopped for a moment and glanced down at him. The little guy was shivering and clinging desperately to my body for warmth. What made this situation unusual was that he normally complained about my abnormally high body temperature, and would try to pull away from me because he got so hot. Not only that, but his face was drenched in sweat. Curious, I touched the back of my hand to his forehead, then pulled away and started walking again; this time at a much faster pace.

He gazed up at me with confused, half-lided azure eyes as I tried to hold him further from my body, "Axel?" The blonde tried to pull me closer, but was far too weak for his attempt to have any affect.

"I'm sorry, Rox," I huffed as I finally made it to the entrance of the town, "but you're burning up. I can't let you get any warmer, no matter how cold you think you are." Roxas simply grasped at my sleeve, still shivering and trying to pull my body closer to his. His fever was screwing with his internal thermometer, making him believe he was freezing when in reality his temperature was spiking to dangerously high levels.

"Thank God!" I sighed in relief as we finally came to the portal. Wasting no time, I rushed through, still cradling Roxas in my arms from a distance.

When we reappeared, we were standing in Vexen's lab. The scientist was huddled over some test tubes and beakers; each containing bright, colorful liquids. He didn't acknowledge us as we entered, so he was obviously unaware of our presence.

"Vexen!" I yelled, a little annoyed with the older male. The sound of my voice caused him to jump; the action soon followed by the sound of three or four test tubes shattering.

He grasped at the edge of the table angrily and, without turning around, growled, "What is it, Axel?"

"I need you to take a look at Roxas," I almost ordered, "There's something seriously wrong with him. He needs help, ASAP." By this time, the blonde's face had paled to a ghostly white, and he was grasping at his chest.

Vexen casually sauntered over and examined him closely, then turned on his heel and opened another portal. "Take him to the medical ward and I'll treat him there," he sighed.

I nodded and followed him into the darkness. The hospital section of the castle was rather cramped, and consisted of only three beds. However, there was a large assortment of rather expensive looking machinery.

Vexen wandered into the back room; probably to get some sort of medical utensil; leaving Roxas and I alone. I delicately placed the small blonde in one of the beds at the end and knelt down next to him. His trembling had become much more violent, and his eyes were clamped tightly shut. The panting had also grown much heavier than it had been earlier.

"Roxas?" I whispered, brushing his face with the back of my hand. He whimpered in response and tightened his grip on his chest. Blood from his earlier injury had also begun to pool underneath him, only serving to add to the little blonde's problems. A moment later, Vexen returned carrying a needle filled with some sort of fluid. "What's that?" I asked as he embedded it into Roxas' arm. Almost instantly, the small blonde relaxed and his body went limp.

"A rather powerful sedative," Vexen replied simply and rolled Roxas over onto his back. He quickly retrieved a tiny flashlight from his pocket, then lifted one of Roxas' eyelids and flashed it in his eye. "Hm," he pondered, storing the light back in his coat, "His pupils are dilated." I gazed at the doctor expectantly, hoping to get an explanation for the little blonde's illness. The older male gave a quick glance in my direction, then did a double take. "You can go now," he urged in annoyance, shooing me away. I snorted and reluctantly took my leave, knowing full well that nothing would get done until I left.

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Sorry it's such a short chapter

I promise the next one will be much longer, cause I'll have to keep writing until I find a good place to stop which there won't be for another 10 pages in my notebook. So, again, sorry.

PLEASE REVIEW! I'll love you guys forever and ever!


	4. Chapter 4

I'd like to give another special thanks to everyone who reviewed my last chapter. It seems as though changing the status from just Kingdom Hearts to a KH FF crossover has increased my audience size. (lol) Anyway, thank you kingdomheartslover13, HoneybeeX, themusicalmuffin, fallen angels321, and BlendInTheDarkness. LOVE YOU GUYS! and keep readin'!

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Chapter 4

"Dammit Vexen," I muttered to myself as I trudged through the hallways.

Almost everyone was still out on their missions. The only exceptions were Demyx, Vexen, Saix, and of course the superior. I wondered what he would do if he found out Roxas was sick; probably nothing.

I was too worried about Roxas to really think about anything other than him, so I wanted to see someone who would understand my situation without making a big deal about it.

"Hey Ax," the mullhawked blonde chirped, not bothering to look up from his sitar as he sat cross-legged on a pillow on the floor. I guess I must've caught him during a practice session.

"Sup Dem," I sighed, plopping down on the edge of his bed.

As soon as he heard the depressed tone in my greeting, the playing stopped and he looked up at me. "What's the matter?" he asked, pale green eyes filled with concern.

"Something happened to Roxas on our last mission," I replied lowly, "He's in the hospital getting examined by Vexen."

The blonde leaped to his feet, exclaiming, "Really? Is he okay? What happened?"

"I don't know."

"What do you mean you don't know!" Demyx jumped onto the bed next to me and violently shook my shoulders. I growled and shoved him off the bed.

"I mean I don't know what happened or if he's going to be okay. Vexen kicked me out before he told me anything."

His glare softened to saddened disappointment, and he pulled himself off the floor back onto the bed. After a moment, he turned back to me raising a skeptical eyebrow, "Are you worried about him?"

"Eh," I shrugged apathetically as I lied through my teeth, "I try not to get too caught up in trivial things like this. Rox is a tough kid, and it's probably just a bad cold." The skepticism didn't fade. It was starting to piss me off. "What?"

"Nothin'," Demyx shrugged, "I'm just sayin'. I don't think there's a single minute of the day I'm not worried about Zexion…but that's just me." The blonde smirked slyly and went back to the floor to continue playing his sitar.

That little punk! He was accusing me of being a shitty boyfriend! Sure, I don't make out with Roxas 24/7 like him and Zexion, but I still care about the little guy! Besides, most of that is because Roxas doesn't like PDA. He says it's too embarrassing.

It's just…what if this turns out to be something serious. I figured it would be better for me to try and stay indifferent about the whole thing for the time being, though that would be nearly impossible.

"I'm gonna go check on him," I finally huffed after a few minutes, pushing myself off the bed.

"That's the spirit!" Demyx chirped. I gave the obnoxious blonde a swift punch in the arm before strutting out the door. To my surprise, as soon as I stepped through the doorway I collided with someone; knocking me flat on my back and him into the wall.

"Axel," Vexen growled, then took a deep breath as if trying to regain his composure, "It's alright. I'll simply write it off as an accident."

The older male helped me to my feet, and I brushed the dirt off my coat. "What're you doin' here? I thought you were takin care of Rox."

"I just finished returning him to his room."

"So he's okay then?" I asked, partially cocking my head to the side.

"I'm still running a few tests, so I'm not entirely positive, but I needed him out of the way so I could run the equipment," he replied, resuming his walk through the hallway. After a moment, he stopped and turned back to me, "Would you mind looking after him in the meantime? I don't trust leaving him by himself in the condition he's in."

"What do you mean 'condition'?"

Vexen held his hand to his chin in a quizzical matter as he pondered the question. "He's rather -oh how shall I put this in a way you can understand- loopy, from the medication I gave him. It was quite odd. He asked for cheezits and a yo-yo before I left…Anyway, be sure to remember he's still very ill, so don't let him leave his room, understand?" I nodded. "Good. I'll be back in about an hour. Make sure he gets some sleep." With that, he turned on his heel and headed back down the hall.

As I approached Roxas' room, I could hear giggling coming from the other side of the door. It was weird, cause I never heard him laugh like that before. Curious, I cracked the door open and peeked inside. The little blonde was propped up in his bed against the backboard; a huge, obviously drug induced, grin on his face; performing various tricks with a black and white checkered yo-yo.

_Huh, I guess Vexen wasn't kidding about the whole yo-yo thing._

"Hey Rox," I greeted quietly as I entered the room, taking a seat on the floor beside his bed.

"Axel, guess what!" the blonde exclaimed, flinging the toy across the room. I don't think he meant to, but apparently he didn't really care. He grabbed my shoulders and pulled me close so I was about an inch from his face, "I. Can't. Feel. Anything! It is SO cool! Here, see, try punching me!" The blonde pulled away and held out his arms, allowing for easier access to his body.

I was a taken aback a bit by his request. "Uh, as much as I would love to try that out, I think you should get some sleep," I suggested calmly, placing my hand on his shoulder.

"Aw, come on Ax," he grinned, "You know you want to. Hey, you mind handin me my yo-yo?" The blonde had to actually hold up one arm with the other as he pointed in the direction of the discarded toy.

"Sure," I replied hesitantly and went to retrieve it. It was so weird seeing him so out of it. I was starting to get a little freaked out.

"Thanks," he smiled sweetly as I handed it to him and sat back down. The blonde sighed and leaned against my chest, "I love you, Axel."

"I love you too, babe," I chuckled and gave him a quick kiss on the forehead. He's never this affectionate; it was kind of refreshing. I figured he would pull away after another second or two and continue playing with his yo-yo, but he stayed put, not saying a single word.

After a moment or so, he gazed back up at me with huge puppy dog eyes, "Could you get me some ice cream?"

"Sea-salt?" I grinned. His gaze fell and he nodded slightly, still leaning against me. "Kay, but ya know…I can't really do anything with a kid strapped to my chest," I giggled and ruffled his hair. Pouting, he huffed and pulled away. As I stood to leave on my quest for ice cream, I felt a soft tug on my sleeve. I turned back and found him looking at me with those same puppy dog eyes from before.

"Can I come with you?" he whimpered pitifully. I couldn't tell you how glad I was that he wasn't always trippin' on pain medication. There was no way in hell I would ever get my way if he always looked this adorable.

"Oh Roxas," I groaned, burying my face in my hands, "You know I can't." He whimpered again, and his bottom lip started to quiver as if he were about to cry. _Oh god, please make him stop. I can take this level of cute. _"Alright," I whined. Heaving a sigh, I lifted the little blonde bridal style. He smiled sweetly and wrapped his arms around my neck, nuzzling my chest.

Just as I was about to head out with my Roxas in tow, he stopped me…again. "Hey Axel?"

"Yes?" I replied, trying to contain an annoyed sigh.

"Can you grab my yo-yo?"

"Yeah," I chuckled.

As we entered Twilight Town, we found things to be surprisingly peaceful. "I guess Xion's already been here," I muttered. Roxas just giggled and continued to play with his toy. "You're not listening to a word I'm saying, are you?"

"Nope!" he grinned, not bothering to look up.

"Axel!" I quickly whipped around to find Xion running up behind me. When she spotted Roxas, she immediately stopped and stared at him with a quizzical expression, brows furrowed, "What's wrong with him?" I guess the sight of Roxas being anything other than emo must be a real shocker.

"He's kinda high offa pain meds," I shrugged.

"Isn't that kinda, you know, bad?" She asked with a sort of 'duh' inflection.

"Actually, I think it's on purpose." I sighed, then glanced down at Roxas who had been completely oblivious to the entire conversation.

"Oh. What're you guys doin' here?"

"What, you're not happy to see us," I sneered, "I thought with our long absence you'd simply be dying to see me."

Xion simply rolled her eyes at my stupidity. "Okay, what's the real reason?"

"Rox wanted some ice cream, but wouldn't let me leave without him.

"I see," she giggled as Roxas began playing with the chains on my coat like an overgrown kitten.

I shot her a quick glare before setting the little blonde down. "You got it?" I asked as he tried to stand on his own. Apparently not, because as soon as I let go, he toppled over. Luckily, Xion and I caught him before he fell. "Back up ya go," I grunted as I hoisted him back into my arms. He was pretty light, but after a while it got to the point where I needed to rest my arms for a minute.

"I think the medicine might be starting to wear off," he whispered quietly.

"Do you want me to take you back?"

"No," he replied simply and began playing with the yo-yo again.

"If you guys'd like, I could meet you up at the clock tower after my mission's over," Xion suggested with a smile, "I only have a little more to do before I'm done."

I gave a quick glance at Roxas who grinned and nodded vigorously. "I guess that's a yes," I shrugged, "Bye Xion."

"Bye guys," she waved and jogged off.

When picked up the ice cream, the store clerk was a little suspicious when she saw Roxas cradled in my arms, grinning like an idiot. Thankfully she said nothing, and we continued on our way. I carried the little blonde up to our usual spot and set him down. He giggled as he dangled his feet over the edge.

"Just don't fall," I cautioned like an overprotective parent, "I don't wanna be scraping you off the pavement any time soon." The little guy must not have heard me since he was still stuck in his little drug induced fantasyland. Shaking my head, I scooted closer to him and wrapped my arm around his shoulder. He leaned against my body and nuzzled his head against the side of my chest. It was so weird seeing him act so affectionate.

"Hey Axel?" Roxas whispered after a few minutes.

"Yeah?"

There was a pause for a moment as he snuggled closer to me. "What happens to nobodies…after they die?"

"Where's this coming from?" I questioned, brows furrowed.

"Just curious," he replied simply.

"Shit, I dunno," I sighed, "I would think we'd just fade back into darkness like we're supposed to."

"Oh."

It was quiet for another moment as Roxas and I enjoyed each other's presence. I jumped a little as the little blonde began kissing my neck and jaw line. "I love you Axel," he whispered in between kisses, wrapping his arms around my neck.

"I love you too, Rox," I chuckled and crushed my lips to his, running my fingers through his golden spikes. He was a little warm, but that wasn't too surprising. What was surprising was that the little guy slipped his tongue into my mouth and began tentatively exploring the moist cavern. I grinned and forced the little guy back, dominating the kiss. He groaned in pleasure as our tongues battled. Maybe this whole drug thing wasn't as bad as I thought it was.

"Am I interrupting?" We jumped about a foot in the air, startled apart at the sound of Xion's voice. She was standing about a foot away, giggling at the sight of Roxas and I. I snorted and turned back to staring at the sunset. "Aw come on Axel," she chuckled, taking a seat on the other side of Roxas, "Don't get mad. I thought it was cute. Roxas isn't normally cool with PDA, I figured you'd be happy."

"Heh, yeah, yeah," I grinned, turning back to Roxas. He was staring at the ground, still dangling his feet and licking his ice cream. Apparently he'd completely forgotten about what happened, and had returned to his little drug-induced fantasyland. I ruffled his spikes and wrapped my arm around his shoulder.

"Hey Xion," the blonde muttered, not bothering to look at her.

"Yes Roxas?" she smiled.

"We're really high up."

Xion blinked a bit at the odd statement, then chuckled, "Yes, yes we are."

Roxas continued staring at the ground, almost as if he were contemplating the thought, then looked up at me. His azure eyes were a little bloodshot and a bit hazy. "What would happen if I fell?" he asked with childlike curiosity.

"You'd probably end up a splattered mess on the ground, Rox," I huffed. His golden eyebrows drew together as he thought about it for a moment. I could only imagine what kind of things were running through that boy's mind. It must be an interesting place right now. "D-do you think…that type of death would be less painful than dying from an injury, o-or an illness?" he asked again, this time not actually addressing either one of us.

We were both taken aback by his question and exchanged concerned glances with one another. I was about to respond when the little guy cut me off again. "Hey Axel!" he chirped and turned back to me with a huge grin, "Remember that guy I told you about; the one from Midgar?" I nodded hesitantly, a little confused with the sudden mood change. "We should go see him! I wanna ask him something!"

I had to stop for a moment in order to comprehend everything that just happened. This kid had like ADD or something. He was jumping back and forth from being manic-depressive to out of control horny; you'd think the kid was pregnant or something.

Just then the clock tolled behind us; both saving the day and scaring me half to death. I turned back to look at the time and leaped to my feet, nearly falling to my death. It had been almost an hour since Vexen had told me to watch Roxas. If he found out I'd taken him out of his room, that guy would slaughter me.

"Oh, shit Roxas, we gotta go," I gasped and lifted the blonde back up.

"Why, what's wrong?" Xion asked in a panic.

"Ugh, Vexen's gonna kill me if I don't get him back in bed," I groaned, motioning toward Roxas.

"Oh," she sighed in relief, "then I'll come with you." I nodded, then let Xion open a portal back to the castle since my hands were full.

Roxas giggled and squirmed like a restless puppy as I laid him back in his bed. Thankfully Vexen hadn't come back yet. It wasn't that the guy actually cared about Roxas, it was the fact that Roxas was the superior's workhorse. He was an asset to the organization because he could use the keyblade. If anything happened to the little guy, Xemnas would eviscerate the scientist, then decapitate him. That was the only reason the man was so adamant about his health and well-being.

"You know, I've never seen him like this," Xion whispered just loud enough so Roxas couldn't hear. Although that was hardly necessary seeing as the kid was totally entranced by his PSP. That was actually the most normal thing I've seen him do since we came back from our mission.

"Yeah," I whispered back, "It's kinda freaky. I'm glad it'll be over soon."

The dark haired girl nodded in agreement, then chirped, "I think I'm going to see what Demyx is doing. Bye Roxas." She bent down and gave him a quick kiss on the forehead before skipping out the door. Roxas didn't bother to look up from his videogame the entire time she was here.

I sat down on the bed next to the little blonde and watched him play over his shoulder, offering advice when needed. Surprisingly, he listened to every word I said. It was like I was the only person he would actually make an effort to listen to, whereas he pretty much ignored everyone else. To be honest, it made me feel pretty special. I grinned to myself at the thought.

"Use the limit break!" I urged.

"I know! I got it!" he smirked.

Just then, his azure eyes went wide and the game dropped from his hands. For a moment he was frozen in place; a horribly pained expression etched on his face. Then, his arms flew to his chest and he screamed in agony.

I leaped off the bed and cried, "Roxas! Roxas, what's wrong!"

The blonde whimpered as he panted, eyes clamped tightly shut. I went to embrace him to try and give him some level of comfort, but pulled back as he let out another pained shriek. It was like he was being ripped apart from the inside, and apparently the outside as well. He was gripping his chest so tightly his nails were digging into his chest. Bloodstains bloomed on his shirt and trickled down his skin, dripping onto the bed.

I had no idea what I was supposed to do. _Am I supposed to try and comfort him, or stop him from hurting himself? Shit, I don't know what to do!_

In a state of panic, I grasped him arms and began trying to pull them from his chest. "Come on Rox, you have to stop," I choked, "You're tearing yourself apart." No matter how much I pulled, however, I could not get him to release the grip he had on his chest.

The cries didn't cease, and sweat poured from his forehead. Roxas was in serious agony, and serious trouble if I didn't get him some help soon. "Hold on, I'll go get Vexen," I tried desperately to reassure him. He fell back against the bed, gasping for breath and whimpering pitifully, letting out an occasional exhausted scream.

I quickly opened a portal and darted through, ending up in the medical ward of the hospital. Vexen was nowhere to be seen.

"Vexen! VEXEN!" I shouted. _Come on! Where the fuck are you?_

A moment passed before the scientist emerged from the back room. "What is it this time Axel? I'm very busy," he growled in annoyance.

I grabbed his wrist and pulled him back to the portal, "Something's wrong with Roxas. You need to come with me."

"Just hold on," he protested, breaking my grasp, "The medication probably wore off, I'll need to get some things."

I growled impatiently as he hurried back into the back room. He returned a moment later carrying a needle filled with clear fluid, and some sort of blue pump. When we got back to Roxas' room, we found him unconscious in his bed.

I watched as Vexen casually strolled up to the side of the bed and placed a couple of fingers on the blonde's throat. "Hm, it appears he's not breathing," the older male said calmly, virtually unphased by the situation, "That's not good."

"Of course it's not good!" I fumed, "Do something!" Despite my hostility, Vexen obliged nonetheless. He placed the nozzle of the pump into the kid's mouth and began squeezing air into his lungs.

After about three minutes there was still no change. It was really starting to look like Roxas wasn't going to make it. Vexen shot a quick glance in my direction, then did a double take as he saw my forlorn expression.

"What's wrong with you?" he sighed in annoyance. I simply glared at him and uttered a threatening growl. My boyfriend is dead, and he wanted to what was wrong. "Oh come now. You don't honestly think he's dead, do you?"

"You mean he's not?" I gasped, hope returning.

"Of course not, you fool! If he were, he would have faded back into darkness by now."

I tilted my head to the side curiously, "So, why are you still pumping air into his mouth?"

"I'll stop once he starts breathing on his own. Once that happens, I'll give him a sedative and take him back to the medical ward." I nodded in understanding, not really wanting him to go into detail.

There was a pause as we both sat in awkward silence. "So…have you found out what's wrong with him yet?" I asked nervously.

"Not yet," he sighed, "However, I have found it to be some sort of virus; the likes of which I've never seen before. I have no idea whether it's harmless or fatal, or even if it's contagious or not. For now it would be best to keep contact with Roxas at a minimum, and keep it at a select few. We don't want the whole castle getting sick now do we?" That was obviously a rhetorical question, but I still shook my head nonetheless.

He raised a skeptical eyebrow at me, then turned back to Roxas as the little blonde began to cough and gasp for air. "There we go," Vexen sighed, "Just take slow, deep breaths. That's it."

He whimpered a little, then rolled onto his side. The poor kid looked exhausted. His face was a deathly pale, and his chest was still bleeding through the fabric of his shirt.

"Lying in that position will only make it that much harder to breathe, number XIII," the older male scolded, and rolled Roxas back over onto his back. The little blonde was not too pleased with this. He snarled and swatted his hand away, then curled back up into a ball on his side, clutching at his chest. "Alright then," the scientist snorted, "if that's the way you want it. Axel, hold him down."

"Um, kay," I nodded hesitantly. The way I saw it, Roxas was still too weak to put up a fight. It was hardly necessary to 'hold him down'…at least, that's what I thought. As soon as my hand touched his shoulder, he lashed out at me like some rabid animal!

"Agh! Dammit Roxas! What the hell is wrong with you!" I fumed, cradling my bleeding hand, "He BIT me, Vexen! He FUCKING BIT me!"

"That's why I told you to hold him," he chided, "If I had tried to stick this into him, the needle would have broken off inside his arm. Not only that, but he probably would have attacked me as well. Now try it again, and this time do it right!"

I cursed the scientist under my breath and turned back to the disgruntled blonde. His cerulean eyes were hard as he glared at me, my blood dripping from his mouth. I didn't want a repeat of last time, so I decided to look at the situation logically; something I never do.

_Alright, right now Roxas is no different than a wounded animal. He's just trying to defend himself. Maybe, I should get behind him and pin him down. That way I won't hurt him, and he won't hurt himself or me. _I surprised myself at how intelligent I could be, and grinned to myself internally.

Roxas still had his eyes locked on me, a low growl rumbling through his chest. Before he even had time to protest, I flipped him onto his stomach and pinned his arms behind his back. He snarled and thrashed, trying desperately to break free. I had to straddle him to keep him from breaking my grasp. Once he was still, Vexen quickly injected him with the sedative, and his body instantly went limp.

"Get off the poor child, Axel," the older male scolded, "You don't want to crush him, do you?" I snorted and did as I was told. God Vexen pissed me off! After a moment, he turned and headed toward the door.

"Wait, where're you going?" I called as I flipped Roxas onto his back.

"Just keep an eye on him. I need to retrieve a few things from my office. I'll return shortly." The door clicked shut and I turned my attention back to the redrugged blonde.

_Why can't that guy just use a portal like the rest of us? _Vexen was probably the only person in the entire castle that preferred walking to teleporting.

Not a minute after he left, the door burst open and Xion and Demyx bolted in, followed closely by Zexion.

"Axel, we heard yelling," Xion gasped, trying to catch her breath.

"What happened?" Demyx panted alongside her. Zexion simply stood in the corner looking a little concerned, but other wise apathetic. "Dude, what happened to your hand?" the mullhawked blonde gasped and yanked my bleeding hand out of my grasp.

"Ah! Dem, that fucking hurts!" I growled and pulled back, "Roxas went crazy and bit me."

"Why'd he bite you?" the emo in the corner asked, coming out to examine the bite mark.

"I don't really know," I shrugged, "I think he was just confused and in pain."

"That makes sense. Vexen did tell me he was sick." Zexion turned from me and began to examine Roxas. He was a member of the medical staff like Vexen and worked with diagnosing strange diseases we received from the different worlds we went to on missions.

"Here, come on Ax," Demyx chirped and took my hand, pulling me into the bathroom, "Let's get you cleaned up."

I cringed a little as the cold water hit my hand. It surprised me how gentle the younger male was being. I barely felt a thing as he cleaned the wound.

I still couldn't believe Roxas bit me. _As soon as he gets better, he is SO gonna get it! _I cursed under my breath, then grinned a little to myself as I contemplated the proper method I was going to use to exact my revenge.

But after a moment, my thoughts of the little blonde began to twist and gnarl into something dark and depressing. _What if…he doesn't get better? What happens if this thing is serious and it ends up killing him? _

"Come on Ax, you're done." I jumped a little at the sound of Demyx's voice, snapping me out of my trance like state. In less than a minute, the blonde had cleaned and bandaged my wound.

"Wow, that was fast," I smirked.

His brows furrowed in confusion, and he tilted his head to the side, "What're you talking about? It's been like ten minutes."

"What? No it hasn't," I chuckled.

"Yeah, it has. You were just too zoned out to notice."

_I guess I was kinda out of it. _"Well," I sighed, patting the older male on the shoulder, "Maybe we should get some dinner. I'm pretty starved." That, and I wanted something to keep my mind offa Roxas. The older blonde gave me another concerned look, then nodded and followed me out the door.

The room was completely empty. I figured Vexen must have come back and taken Roxas, and Xion and Zexion probably followed.

"Come on Ax," Demyx urged as he waited by the door, "We gotta get down there before the food's gone."

"Oh, right," I nodded and followed the younger male.

This whole Roxas thing was really getting to me. I decided that tomorrow after my mission, I was going to go to Midgar and figure out how to cure this disease, no matter what it takes.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

(Roxas POV)

I gradually forced my eyelids open, but my vision was so blurry it didn't make any difference whether my eyes were open or closed. My body was completely numb, yet my head still throbbed. It was a horrible sensation.

"Roxas?" a familiar voiced cooed softly, "Roxas, can you hear me?"

As my vision slowly came into focus, I could just barely make out of big blue eyes staring down at me. "X-xion?" I forced the name through my lips. It was so hard to speak, like there was some enormous weight crushing my chest.

The dark haired girl sighed in relief, placing her hand lightly on her chest. She turned to another part of the room and called, "He's awake." I tried to turn my head to see who she was talking to, but no matter what I did my body wouldn't move. Xion turned back to me and gently stroked my face with the back of her hand. "Do you remember what happened?"

_Wait, do I remember? _All the images in my head were fuzzy, and none of it made any sense. It seemed like everything after the mission in Halloween Town had been completely wiped from my mind. There was also a horribly disgusting coppery taste in my mouth.

"All I remember is going on a mission with Axel," I groaned, struggling to keep my eyes open, "W-where is he?" The only thing I could think of at the moment was my redhead. I longed for his comforting presence, and wanted to know why he wasn't here with me.

Xion placed a quizzical finger on her chin, pondering the question, "The last time I saw him, Demyx was cleaning the bite wound on his hand. But that was yesterday, so I have no idea where he is now."

"Bite wound?" I tilted my head slightly to the side and gazed up at her questioningly. I didn't know he'd been injured.

"Oh, yeah," she giggled, smiling sweetly, "I guess you don't remember. You bit Axel when Vexen tried to give you a sedative."

"W-what?" I asked, not believing what I'd just heard. Me, bite Axel? That's absurd! Then again, that would explain why he's not here. If I had bit him, he would probably too pissed or embarrassed to come visit me.

"Yeah, but if you ask me he kinda deserved it for not listening to Vexen and taking you out when you weren't supposed to. It's a good thing he brought you back when he did, otherwise I don't think you would have made it." Xion gazed tenderly at me and ruffled my hair. "Alright, I have to go. Saix only gave me so much time to visit you before I had to go on my mission. But don't worry, I'll head straight back here after I'm done." She placed a soft kiss on my forehead, then walked out the door.

I groaned again and gradually forced my hand to my chest, clutching my shirt. The numbness had begun to fade, and the pain was returning. "Axel," I whispered; the redhead still the only thing on my mind. I wanted him here with me; his sweet breath; the gentle touch of his skin against mine. It was like some sort of addiction; a need that absolutely had to be met before I could start thinking logically again. He was the only thing on my mind.

(Axel POV)

My nose wrinkled as I stepped through the dark passageway. I had finished my mission and had decided to go to Midgar to find out exactly what kind of virus we were dealing with.

"Alright," I huffed and scanned the area. The entire place was strewn with garbage and debris, and all the buildings were in ruin. No wonder the little guy got sick, this place was a dump.

Suddenly, the streets were filled with the roar of a motorcycle engine. I jumped at the sound, then quickly darted over to the side of a nearby church, and watched as a tall blonde pulled up on a jet black bike. He cut the engine and dismounted the vehicle, stretching his limbs before casually strolling into the large, Gothic structure.

_This must be the guy, _I thought to myself, _Wow, he really does look like Roxas. I guess if I'm gonna talk to anyone around here, it might as well be him._

Taking a deep breath, I followed after the older male. Talking to people in other worlds was forbidden, since our presence was supposed to be kept strictly secret, so what I was about to do went against everything I'd been told. However, if it meant helping Roxas, I was willing to do anything.

I was hesitant as I first approached the large wooden doors, but that was almost instantly overcome with determination and complete bull headedness. The door squeaked as I forced it open, and the blonde calmly turned to face me.

"Hey," I called, nodding toward the older male, "You met a friend of mine here a couple days ago. A short blonde kid who kinda looks like you."

"Yeah," he replied as he placed a hand on the hilt of his blade, "I remember him. What's that got to do with me?"

I raised a calming hand, "Hey buddy, I'm not lookin for a fight. The kid's really sick, and I figured you might know what's wrong with him."

"I'm guessing you both aren't from around here, are you?" he asked, reluctantly taking his hand from his blade. I shook my head. "What're his symptoms?"

"Fever. Dizziness. Plus he's in a shit load of pain."

The man's gaze averted from me as he contemplated what I had just said. This was starting to piss me off. I just wanted an answer so I could go back and tell Vexen what's wrong with the little guy so we can get him treated.

"Is there a large bruise somewhere on his body?" he asked after another moment.

"Yeah," I nodded, "On his chest. Why?"

The blonde sighed morosely, then turned and walked over to a chest lying in the corner of the front of the room. "I think your friend has geostigma."

"Well, how do we treat it? What's the cure?" I asked, finally glad to have a name to put with the face. All that meant was we were one step closer to curing Roxas.

"Heh, you really aren't from around here," he sighed halfheartedly, "There is no cure. Geostigma is a fatal disease. I'm sorry, but your friend is going to die." There was a sudden searing hot pain in my chest. I clutched the fabric of my coat and collapsed in one of the Pius.

_There's no cure? Roxas is going…to die?_

The older male turned back to look at me, something almost like empathy hinted in his gaze. "There is a treatment though," he muttered, pulling something from the chest and tossing it to me. I caught it clumsily, and found it was a small container. "It's a type of ointment I made. Put it on some bandages and wrap them around his chest. It'll help suppress the pain, and make life a little more bearable for him."

"Thanks," I mumbled, not taking my eyes off the container. This was all that was left for him; an existence in a constant state of dulled pain.

"I'm sorry, but that's all I can do."

Despite the fact that I was in complete and utter shock, I did remember to ask one thing. "Is this thing contagious by chance?"

The blonde shot a questioning glance at me, then shook his head dismissively. Man, he really was just like Roxas. "No, it's not contagious. So don't worry about catching anything."

"Oh," I muttered. Well, at least there was some good news I could take back. After a couple minutes I looked back up at the man and found him staring at me, almost as if he were analyzing me. "What?" I growled in annoyance. It pissed me off when people looked at me like that.

"It's nothing," he sighed, turning away, "You just look like someone I know, but that doesn't matter. Sorry about your friend, he seemed like a good kid." With that, the man stood, and walked out the door. A moment later, I could hear the roar of the motorcycle, and a screech as it tore across pavement. The sound gradually dulled as it grew further and further away, and I was left alone to my thoughts.

(Xion POV)

"What? Why can't I see him?" I asked as I stood outside the door to the medical ward. Zexion was blocking the entryway, arms crossed looking apathetic as ever.

"I told you," he sighed, "Saix and the superior are speaking with Vexen. They told me not to allow anyone to enter while they're there, and that includes you, Demyx and Axel."

If Xemnas was in there, then that really meant something was wrong. I wanted desperately to be in there, but I knew if I disobeyed orders that I'd be severely punished. All I could do for the time being was wait for the others to leave.

"Alright," I replied softly, my gaze dropping to the floor, "But Zexion, could you tell me when I can see him? I told him I'd visit after my mission, and I don't want to seem like a liar." The older man nodded and I gave him a quick hug, "Thanks."

"No problem," he muttered, turning away. I could swear I saw a slightest hint of a blush grace his cheeks. The sight made me giggle. With one last disappointed sigh, I turned and headed back down the hallway toward my room.

Poor Roxas. He really looked like he was in pain. Not only that, but he'd also been so out of it with all the medication that he couldn't even remember anything from yesterday.

As I trudged through the hallways lamenting my friend, my disposition suddenly brightened as I got a glimpse of bright red hair out of the corner of my eye.

"Oh, hey Xion," Axel sighed morosely as I skipped over to him. The sight of his depressed expression forced me to stop a couple feet away; concerned feeling gradually making itself present yet again.

"What's wrong?" I asked sympathetically. It was pretty clear he was still worried about Roxas, but I just wanted to hear him say it. He wasn't really one to let others inside his head; always the enigma.

"Nothing," he mumbled, his gaze dropping to the floor, "Just worried about the little guy is all."

My eyes widened in surprise. I wasn't expecting him to just come out and say it like that. There had to be more to it than he was letting on, but if it was really that bad, I wasn't too sure I wanted to know. Alas, I decided to ask anyway on the off chance he would actually talk to me.

(Axel POV)

"That's not all, is it?" Xion questioned again in a very soft tone, "It's something about Roxas that you're not telling me. What is it?"

This was not a conversation I wanted to have right now, especially with anyone other than Vexen or Zexion. I was also pretty hesitant about speaking with Roxas. No one wants to be the one to tell the person they love that they're going to die.

"Sorry Xion," I sighed solemnly, pushing my way past the small girl, "I don't think I can really talk about it right now. I – I gotta go find Vexen or Zexion."

Thankfully she didn't follow me. I knew she was just as worried about Roxas as I was, but I really didn't want her to tag along when I was about to spill the beans about the little guy's condition. This was something Roxas and I had to deal with by ourselves.

I neared the medical ward just in time to see Zexion opening the door and Xemnas stepping through, accompanied closely by Saix. All three men turned to face me as I nervously approached.

"W-what's goin on with Roxas?" I asked cautiously. Questioning the superior was something no sane person would do, and I wasn't too keen on the idea myself.

"What business is it of yours?" Saix questioned back, restraining a snarl. Xemnas simply eyed me suspiciously.

Mustering up my confidence, I replied, "I have information about the virus."

That peeked the superior's interest. "Go on," the yellow eyed male said smoothly. Both Zexion and Saix seemed interested as well

I nodded, thankful he wasn't going to sick his guard dog on me. "First off it's not contagious," I sighed, "Second, well…superior, the disease is…fatal." As soon as I said the words, both yellow eyed men turned and headed back down the hallway. None of this was looking good. I turned back to Zexion, who still stood there looking bewildered. "Can I see him?"

"Sure," the slated haired male replied, then followed me into the room.

I winced a little as a beheld my lover lying in the hospital bed, curled into a ball and whimpering in pain. His eyes were tightly closed, and beads of sweat dripped from his forehead.

Zexion headed into the back room as I wandered over to the little blonde's bedside. I knelt beside him and ever so gently placed my hand on his shoulder, not really wanting to any other part of my body bitten off as well. The slightest touch of my hand made him jump, blood shot azure eyes springing open.

"Axel," he breathed. The next thing I knew, I was holding him in my arms, clutching tightly against the fabric of my coat, "Oh, Axel."

"Roxas," I gasped, and wrapped my arms around his small frame, pulling him close. His response to my being here caught me by surprise, and made the situation all the more difficult to bear.

After a moment, he pulled away just enough to gaze at me questioningly. "Where were you?" the blonde whispered. His pained expression tore me apart, and the only thing I wanted to do was hold him close and try to comfort him.

"I'm sorry Rox," I apologized, pulling him back against my chest, "I had to find out what was doing this to you." He whimpered and tightened his grip against my chest. The poor kid was shaking badly, and his breathing was hitched and unsteady. Suddenly, I felt something warm and wet stain the front of my coat. "Roxas," I whispered, "Are you… crying?"

I gently tilted his head back up and found tears streaming down his face. "How are you doing that?"

"I *sniff* don't know," he sobbed, "I just *sniff* missed you, and *sniff I had to be with you. Dammit, this is so *sniff* stupid. Heh, I can't stop." He chuckled softly, and tried to wipe the tears from his eyes, but no matter what he did they just kept falling. "You said you *sniff* found something out?"

I hoisted the little guy onto my lap, careful not to cause him any unnescessary pain, and kissed his forehead. He was just too adorable to have to be in a place like this. I knew I was going to have to tell him sooner or later, but at the moment, the words seemed caught in my throat.

At the moment, the most I could manage was a forced smile. "I went to Midgar after my mission. You remember that Cloud guy you told me about earlier?" He nodded slightly. "Well, I found him. You were right, he really could be a match for Zexion for the title of emo king." That earned me a giggle from the blonde to which I smiled tenderly. I was always proud of myself whenever I managed to make him laugh.

"So did he know what was wrong with me."

I sighed heavily and pulled Roxas closer to my chest. "He said he thinks you have something called 'geostigma'."

At this, Roxas' head popped off of my chest and he gazed at me expectantly with huge, sparkling blue eyes. "Really? What is it! What's the cure! Tell me Axel!"

"Calm down. You're gonna give yourself a heart attack," I grinned, ruffling his golden spikes. I pulled out the little jar Cloud had given me and held it out for him. "He said if you put some of this on your bandages and wrap them around the bruise on your chest, it'll make the pain much easier."

Roxas took the jar from my hands and held it up to examine it. "And this will cure it, that 'geo-whatever it's called'?"

I swallowed hard and my gaze fell slightly, but apparently not enough for the bed ridden blonde to notice.

_No. I'm sorry babe, but it won't. There is no cure. You're going to die._

The words came so easily in my mind, but when it came to actually saying them, that was an entirely different story.

"It might," I smiled softly, "But we'll have to wait and see. That guy didn't exactly mention how long it would take for that stuff to work."

A huge grin spread across his features, and he flung his arms around my neck. "Thank you, Axel," he whispered, "Thank you so much. I don't know what I'd do without you."

My mind was racked with guilt, but I tried to ease the pain by telling myself, _I guess it's not really such a bad thing to lie to him. Better to see him happy than have him spend the rest of his life in misery. In the meantime, I'll try and find a cure. Just you wait and see, Roxas. Everything will turn out alright._

I lay with him in the small bed until he fell asleep. That ointment actually worked. It was such a relief watching him sleep peacefully rather than seeing his face contorted in pain. I couldn't stand seeing him like that, and could barely even fathom the thought of losing him. But...if I couldn't find a cure...what was I going to do without him?

* * *

Hey people of fanfiction! Sorry it took so long. My typing has been inhibited by a chest and back injury, so I can't stay on the computer for too long *sob*

Anyway, please review. It will make my pain so much more worth while, and I always love to hear from you. Chapter 6 should be coming soon!


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

I decided to leave shortly after. His fever was spiking again, and I couldn't help but think it had something to do with my presence. Sometimes it sucks having an average temp of a hundred and four.

Sighing heavily to myself, I trudged aimlessly through the barren hallways with no real purpose other than to kill time. Heh, Luxord hates that expression. Anyway, just when I thought things couldn't get any worse, I rounded the corner only to come face to face with the fucking wolf man himself.

"Axel. Just the person I wanted to see." His tone was cold, and I could swear he was trying with all his might to evicerate me with his eyes.

Though I knew I would regret it later, I didn't really consider the consequences at the time. So, being the idiot I am, a mischevious sneer graced my lips and I asked in a mocking tone, "Someone's appears to be a little pissy this afternoon. What Saix, superior not letting you top, or is he just denying you sex all together?"

Oh shit. WHY THE FUCK DID I SAY THAT! Fuck, he's gonna castrate me I just know it. Say goodbye to your balls, Axel.

Despite my overwhelming fear radiating from my very being, I kept a straight face and held my ground.

Much to my surprise the bastard didn't go berserk on me, though death was clearly apparent in his icy cold stare. A rather high pitched and unmanly yelp fled my lips as Saix lifted me by the front of my coat so our noses nearly touched. "You will be accompanying Roxas on all his missions from now on," he stated frostily, then dropped me to the floor with a thud.

"And here I thought you were mad at me," I huffed from my seat on the polished stone floor. His left eye twitched slightly, and I could tell he was near his breaking point. It was only a matter of time before I wound up a splattered mess all over the castle, but I couldn't help myself, it was in my nature to be a smart ass.

_**You need to learn to keep your mouth shut, ya stupid jackass.**_

Shut up voices, or I'll poke you with a q-tip again.

Promptly ignoring the little voice in my head that I suspected to be my conscious, I pushed myself to my feet and brushed the imaginary dirt off my coat, before turning back to the quickly shortening fuse.

"So, you gonna give me an explanation, or ya just gonna leave me hangin?"

I'd be lying if I said I wasn't completely stunned when he actually gave me an answer. "Despite your evident lack of respect for your superior members, I will inform you that this job was chosen specifically for you. Your relationship with XIII made it apparent that you would be best suited to care for him until his usefulness is outlasted."

His words cut deep. He was talking about Roxas like some washing machine that had passed its warrenty, and was about to be thrown out.

I could feel my blood beginning to boil, and I had to clench my fists to keep from roasting that stupid dog alive. A low growl, only audible to me, bled though my lips. "So, basically what you're sayin is you want me to keep him alive till this disease kills 'im. How the hell is he supposed to go on missions when he can barely sit up without doubling over in pain?"

Saix sighed in annoyance, rubbing the bridge of his nose with his thumb and index finger. "Look, I don't care if you have to swing the damn keyblade yourself. All I want is for you to make sure he collects as many hearts as possible before his time runs out. Have I made myself clear, Lea?"

This time the growl that rumbled through my chest was a bit more audible, and I could sense the slightest hint of a flinch from my 'superior'. I nodded, giving him the satisfaction of a positive answer.

"Good. You two will be heading out on your next mission once Vexen gives him clearence to leave."

"Awesome," I muttered under my breath as the older male brushed past me.

Honestly, sometimes I don't believe that man was ever human. Saix was the epitome of what a nobody was said to be; cold and unfeeling.

(Xion POV)

"Saix and the superior are gone?"

Zexion sighed and glanced up at me from his cup of tea. "Yes. They both left a while ago. You're free to go see him."

"Wait, a _while _ago? Why didn't you tell me! I thought you said you'd tell me as soon as they left! You're so mean Zexy!" I crossed my arms in a huff and pouted.

That jerk! I hugged him and everything! So much for being friends.

The slated male turned away, hiding the somewhat amused look on his face under his lilac hair. "That may be, but I simply wanted to give he and Axel some time together. I do apologize for not telling you sooner, Xion."

"You could have told me. It's not like I would've barged in on them."

When he didn't return my half hearted glare, instead taking another sip of his tea, I turned and headed back to the medical ward to see Roxas. Surely he and Axel were done. I just hoped he didn't fall asleep again. It would be nice to talk with him.

I made sure to knock before sliding the door open. Much to my dismay, Roxas had fallen asleep again, though Axel was nowhere to be found. I figured he would've stuck around for a while with how sick Roxas was. Then again, he could just be getting some dinner.

I took a tentative seat in the chair beside the bed, and gently stroked the blonde's face. His usual porcilen skin was sickly pale and streaked with sweat, causing his bangs to stick to his forehead. There were dark bruise like rings underneath his eyes, giving the appearance he hadn't had much sleep. His bandaged chest rose shakily and fell the same. Light, but visable blood stains were beginning to make themselves known on his bandages where the heartless had attacked him.

Oh Roxas. I hope you'll be okay. I can't even begin to think what life might be like around here without you.

I nearly jumped out of my skin when Roxas groaned softly, and began to stir. Slowly, but surely, a pair of large sapphire eyes similar to my own became visible from underneath ebony lashes, and he gazed up at me with slight confusion.

"Xion?" He tilted his head slightly to the side, and blinked a few times.

"Hey Rox. See, I told ya I'd be back."

I got a warm, fuzzy feeling as he smiled up at me. However, that smile quickly faded, and was replaced with an incredibly pained grimace as he screwed his eyes shut. He uttered a low groan and clutched his chest with a trembling hand.

"Are you okay?" I asked softly, caressing his cheek with the back of my hand. Roxas was one of my best friends. It hurt to see him in so much pain.

The blonde looked as though he was about to answer, but all that came out was an agonized whimper. He forced an azure eye open and gave me a both pleading and apologetic look. Suddenly, I gasped and nearly fell over in my chair as his visible eye changed from a light sapphire to an inhuman, almost glowing blue-green, and the pupil became slitted, almost like a cat's. It only happened for an instant, but it was enough to leave me shaking.

What was that? That definitely wasn't normal whatever it was.

"Xion? A-are you okay? I-It l-looked like you saw a ghost." His voice was so strained as he forced his words through the pain.

"Huh, o-oh, yeah. I'm fine. It was nothing. What about you? Do you want me to go get Vexen or Zexion?"

Roxas blinked a couple times before shaking his head. I figured that would be his answer.

* * *

Hey. I am SO sorry it took this long to update! Please don't hurt me!

I didn't really have a whole lotta time what with school and all. I have WAY too much homework, but you understand. So that's why this chapter is so short. I promise the next one will be much longer. I just figured I'd give you something to read to pass the time.

Anyway, PLEASE REVIEW!

I've decided that I will only continue a story if I get a sufficient number of review per chapter. It's not that I'm egotistical, I just want to know people still care about my stories, and I want to know if it's worthwhile to take time from my schedule to write them. So, please review if you wish me to continue writing.


	7. Chapter 7

Hello people of fanfiction. Sorry I didn't update sooner. If you live in the US, then you probably heard about the fire in Boulder, Colorado. Yeah, my house is about a mile from the actual flames, so we had to be evacuated for a little while. But I'm back, and I've finished chapter 7!

Anyway, I wanna give a special thanks to everyone who reviewed the last chapter: BlendInTheDarkness, HoneybeeX, Christina E. Lupin, Xian Ke, themusicalmuffin, kingdomheartslover13, and Cipher-of-Will. All of you made this chapter possible.

Please review, and in turn I will continue to write more chapters. Oh, and by the way, this is where the story starts getting interesting :D

* * *

Chapter 7

(Axel POV)

Days passed for what seemed like an eternity. In reality it was only about a week, but, hey, what do I know?

Roxas seemed surprisingly healthy for someone supposedly terminally ill. I mean, aside from his occasional 'episodes', he was in fairly decent condition. In fact, he seemed to pretty much be back to his normal self. To prove my point, the little guy was currently chastising me for being too openly affectionate.

_Ah, it's nice to have the old Roxas back._

"Axel."

"What?"

"I've told you _twice _now, get your hands _off _my ass."

"Hey, it's not _my_ fault your succulent buns are so tantalizing."

_**SMACK!**_

I whimpered and rubbed the back of my now throbbing head. He's a feisty little thing, that's for sure. The stinging lump on the back of my head was proof enough of that and damn did it hurt somethin' awful.

"You're so mean to me, Roxy. I compliment you on your adorable little ass, and what do you do? You hit me. Now I don't think that makes for a healthy relationship, Roxy-poo."

The ruffled little blonde crossed his arms in a huff. "Well maybe if you kept your hands to yourself once in a while, you pedo-leech, maybe I wouldn't have to knock some sense into you. You're lucky you still have both your arms and legs."

"Now, now Roxy," I waggled my finger, "Violence is never the answer. Perhaps you could try talking things out, or maybe even try writing a strongly worded letter, you know, like a civilized person."

_**SMACK!**_

Ow, okay, that one hurt a little more. Not only did he hit me, he even had the nerve to snigger a bit at the pain he caused me. Oh, he **will** pay dearly.

Before the little rat even had time to protest, I took his chin between my thumb and index finger and captured his soft, rosy pink lips in my own in a passionate kiss. He wriggled a bit at first, but once I skillfully slipped my tongue passed his lips and into his mouth, he succumbed to the kiss. I could feel his arms wrap around my neck and take fistfuls of my hair as he pulled me closer, deepening the kiss. The moist cavern that was his mouth was hot and welcoming, and his tongue wormed its way around my own in enthusiastic greeting. His taste was so sweet, almost like strawberries and spring water. I was always curious as to how he always managed to taste like that, but I didn't complain. I loved his taste.

Eventually we pulled away; a string of saliva trailing from our lips. We stayed about an inch away from the other's face, just enough so that the tips of our noses barely touched, and gazed into each other's eyes. I'd almost forgotten how beautiful his glorious sapphires were, and I couldn't help but be entranced by them.

His warm breath tickled my cheeks, halfway snapping me from my trance. "Your eyes are beautiful," I breathed, then pressed my lips to his forehead. I laughed as his eyes widened and his face flushed a deep red. He was simply adorable, and he was mine. Nothing would take him from me.

"Hey Axel?"

"Yes my love?" I delicately traced my long fingers along his cherry red cheek. He shivered slightly under my touch, and I grinned to myself internally.

"You're overstepping my restrictions on PDA. You're just lucky no one was around to see that or I would've had to cut your dick off." I knew he meant to sound threatening, but with how shaky and nervous his voice was. It didn't sound too convincing.

I chuckled and raised my hands defensively as I gave the little guy his space. Sometimes I wish he could be a little less self conscious, but that's just the type of person he was, and I wouldn't have it any other way.

With a soft sigh and an annoyed huff we continued down the now darkening path. It was odd to get an assignment here during sunset, and by the look of things, maybe even night as well. That was very strange indeed. In fact, it was probably putting me a little more on edge than necessary. Either that…or something was watching us from the shadows, and I had a sneaking suspicion as to what that 'something' might be.

"They're watchin us," I muttered lowly. I could feel my entire body tense with anticipation, and I was just waiting for them to make a move. Roxas nodded. "You sure you're up for this? You did just get out of the hospital after all."

"I'll be fine." His voice was reassuring, if only for the fact it had been just as low and serious as mine had been. Bright sapphire darted around the darkness from my peripheral vision.

Suddenly, Roxas gasped and slowly crouched down to his knees, clutching his chest. "Shit, Rox you okay?" I knelt beside him and placed a supporting on his back. _Damn, this is not the time for this, _I growled to myself. He tried to answer, but all that escaped him was an agonized whine. This wasn't good.

The shadows shifted on the street and buildings. They were starting to make their move. I stood protectively over my little love, and in a burst of fire my chakrams appeared at my sides. I glared into the darkness, almost daring them to attack.

Unfortunately for me, they called my bluff. All at once, dozens of heartless emerged from the ground and poured from the walls, drenching the entire alleyway in inky darkness. There was too many for us to handle by ourselves, especially since Roxas wasn't getting up anytime soon.

"Shit," I snarled under my breath. _What the fuck am I supposed to do?_

At the moment, there was only one thing I _could _do. Fight. I lunged at the sinister creatures, slashing at them with all my might. With everything I gave, it would seem like I would have at least made _some _progress. But no matter how many I destroyed, even more appeared in their place. I wasn't getting anywhere!

"Dammit." I leapt back and glared at the thousands of heartless now surrounding us. There was no way we were going to get out of this alive. It was now or never. I had one attack I knew could destroy all of them, but it came at a cost. Oh well, if it meant giving Roxas a bit more time, then I was willing to sacrifice my very existence for him. Roxas is my everything; he's the heart I've been trying so hard to obtain; I wasn't going to allow him to loose his life for something like this.

I took a battle stance and absentmindedly twirled my chakrams in my hands. This was it. _Goodbye Roxas. _Just as I was about to leap back in, a familiar figure leapt in front of me. His golden hair sparkled in the moonlight, contrasting against the darkness. Panic swept over me. He couldn't handle a fight like this in his condition, even if he had recovered from his pain spell.

"Roxas! What the hell do you think you're doing! You're gonna get yourself killed!"

He didn't even make a move to look in my direction, and kept his back to me. In a bright flash his keyblade appeared in his left hand, though it looked strangely more like a sword than a keyblade. _I always thought he was right handed, _the thought quickly passed through my head as I watched in awe. His stance was so strange; tense, yet somehow it held an air of ease and calm, as if he didn't care. It was like he was silently challenging them. The heartless were all too willing to oblige. In one mass, they all lunged at the keybearer, claws barred and glistening in the moonlight.

"ROXAS, NO!" I screamed and reached out to him. _No, he can't die, he just can't._

However, what I saw next completely knocked me for a loop. In what appeared to be a single fluid motion, the thousands of heartless that had just seemed to keep coming were all slain. Not a single one remained. I could have sworn it was a trick of the mind, or something like that, if it had not been for the hundreds of hearts ascending into the sky, only to be captured by darkness and sent to become part of Kingdom Hearts.

"Wha-What the…Roxas, wha-…What was that?" I stammered helplessly as I tried to make sense of the situation.

Roxas' back was still to me. It was as though he hadn't even moved a single muscle the entire time. He didn't answer, and continued to stare off into the distance, allowing his blade to vanish in the same flash of light from which it had appeared. I took a hesitant step toward the smaller male, reaching out to him. Suddenly, his head dropped against his chest, and he brought his hands up to cradle his face. Out of nowhere, he started laughing. It was a low, almost inaudible sound that chilled me to the bone. It seemed to permeate the entire town despite how quiet it was, and echoed off the walls. Gradually, the cold and soulless laughter became louder and louder until the blonde was throwing his head back howling manically like some deranged psychopath.

I had never truly been scared of anything in my entire life. But this, this scared the ever loving shit outta me. It was absolutely terrifying, and I could feel every hair on my body standing on end. I wanted nothing more than for it to stop.

Almost as if he could hear my silent pleas, the laughter ceased and his hands dropped back to his sides. He stared off into the distance just as before, though I couldn't see his face, and I didn't think I wanted to.

"H-H-Hey, R-Roxas?" My voice was painfully shaky, despite how hard I was trying to hide my fear. At this rate I felt as though I might shake out of my own skin with how badly I was trembling. When he didn't respond, I took a step closer to the blonde, then another, until I was standing right behind him. I hesitantly extended my arm ever so slightly; my fingers just barely grazing his shoulder, when he whipped around to face me.

I nearly leaped out of my skin at the horrifying sight before me, and ended up jumping a few feet back. His eyes weren't the same deep azure I had fallen in love with, instead they were some sort of inhuman aquamarine that seemed to glow of their own accord. The pupils were merely slits, like some sort of feral cat's eyes. They held no emotion other than pure blood lust and some disturbingly sick sense of amusement. Other than that, they were cold, lifeless glass orbs.

What appeared to be a scowl marred his features, but it quickly turned into a malicious sneer. He chuckled again, forcing another shiver up my spine and goose bumps on my paled flesh. This had to be some sort of fucked up nightmare or something. It couldn't be real, it just couldn't.

I swallowed hard and tried once again to approach him. "R-Ro-"

"He's coming."

My voice caught in my throat and I nearly choked on my own words. His voice was so ethereal, and definitely not something from this plane of reality. It reverberated off the buildings and seemed to percolate my very being like some infectious disease. The sound alone made my skin crawl.

"Wha-what?"

"The reunion. The reunion is almost upon us. Soon…very soon, he shall return, and everything will come into fruition. You should join us, Axel."

Again, the blonde threw his head back in crazed, maniacal laughter. His right hand moved to cover his face, and he began to stumble backwards from the sheer force. He gradually backed himself against the side of a building and collapsed, still entranced in his laughing fit. This was **not** Roxas. This thing before me wasn't even human. I had to bring him back. I couldn't stand seeing him like this.

I rushed over to where he sat with his back against the wall. He didn't seem aware of my presence as he continued to cackle like a madman, while holding his face. Tears had begun to stream down his pale face, and his eyes were clamped tightly shut.

I couldn't take it anymore. I took firm hold of the hysterical blonde's shoulders and shook him roughly. "ROXAS! SNAP OUT OF IT DAMMIT! YOU'RE SCARING THE SHIT OUTTA ME! WAKE UP!" I couldn't even start wondering if maybe what I was doing wasn't exactly too good for his health, seeing as he was practically dying a few minutes ago. But at the moment, the thought didn't even cross my mind. All I wanted was to get **my **Roxas back.

That seemed to do it. With a sharp intake of breath, Roxas' eyes shot open, revealing a pool of deep, glorious blue; oh and how beautiful that sight was. He blinked a couple times, then let out a pained groan brought his hands back up to cradle his face.

"Roxas!" I cried and practically jumped onto him, embracing him in a crushing embrace. "My God, Roxas, I thought I'd lost you forever! If you ever scare me like that again, I'll kill you! Oh Roxas!"

I was far too caught up in my own bliss filled universe to notice the muffled growls beneath me. Finally one cry caught my attention.

"AXEL, GET OFFA ME!"

"Oh, whoops. Sorry Rox." I grinned with pure pleasure as I released the fuming little blonde from my grasp. As soon as I pulled away, he gasped for air with wide eyes, then narrowed them in a glare.

"You big idiot! What were you trying to do, kill me? I couldn't breathe in there!" he ranted. I know he was supposed to be intimidating, but I always found that the angrier he got, the cuter he became. One of the many reasons I mess with him. Roxas sighed and rubbed the base of his spine from when he collapsed against the wall. "And what the hell d'ya mean you thought you lost me forever? I didn't go any…wait…where did the heartless go? Weren't there like thousands of them?"

I stared at him completely unbelieving as he glanced around the alleyway; attempting to locate the missing heartless he destroyed.

"You mean you don't remember what happened?"

His attention snapped back to me, and he huffed in annoyance. "And what exactly is it I'm supposed to be remembering?"

"Dude, you were fucking possessed!" I cried, jumping to my feet, throwing my arms in the air and nearly scaring the life out of Roxas. "Your eyes turned this freaky bluish green, and they were all glowy. Then you decide somethin' is just fuckin hilarious and you start laughing like some deranged, psychopath murderer, nearly scarin the ever-loving crap outta me. Not content with that, you start goin' on about some reunion shit or whatever in this creepy ass voice that made you sound like some fucking ghost or somethin'. You nearly gave me a heart attack, and I don't even have a heart!" By the end of my rant, I panting like a dog and Roxas was staring at me wide-eyed.

He blinked a bit and shook his head, almost as if I'd made him dizzy. He was probably questioning my sanity right now, but before I could defend myself, he asked, "Are you serious?"

"Yes I am fucking serious!" I yelled, throwing my arms into the air once again before letting them drop limply back to my sides.

There was a pause as we stared at each other; Roxas still wide eyed, and me trying to recover from my rant. It seemed like hours before Roxas spoke again, this time in a low, shaky voice. "D-Do ya think…maybe…we should go back to Midgar?" he chocked.

This time it was my turn to be taken aback. "Why the hell would you want to go back there? Last time you went you came back practically dying." _Okay, not__** practically**__, but I still don't think it's the right time to tell him. He's got enough to worry about with this._

"Well…maybe Cloud or someone will know. I mean, don't you think this has something to do with the geostigma?" Roxas had a good point. If anything these people would be the only ones who could possibly tell us what the hell is going on. An illness is one thing, but a possession is on an entirely different level of seriousness. "I don't think it would hurt to go see what they know."

There was another pause before I nodded. "You're right. It wouldn't hurt to go ask 'em." I turned and summoned a passageway through the darkness. Before entering however, I chuckled to myself a bit causing Roxas to arch a suspicious golden eyebrow.

"What's so funny?" he asked with the tilt of a head.

I gave him my trademark grin and mussed his fluffy blonde spikes. "Nothin'. Just surprised you actually believed me. I didn't take you to be someone to believe in something as freaky as possession. I thought for sure you were gonna call me an idiot or stupid jackass; something along those lines."

Roxas pouted and turned away, the faintest of blushes spread on his face. "Well, Zexion gave me a book on ghosts once and there was an entire chapter on possession. Gave me nightmares for about a week straight."

"You believe in ghosts?" I asked slack jawed. Again, something I never would've guessed about my precious little Roxy. He always seemed so level headed. Ghosts was not something I expected would be in his list of rational concepts.

The blush instantly grew three shades darker, and his shoulders hunched up like he was a turtle trying to hide in its shell. "Yes," he mumbled faintly. I laughed warmly and kissed his forehead.

"You're just too cute," I chuckled, then took his hand in my own, "Come on, let's go probe these guys for information."

The little blonde growled a little, then chuckled and willingly followed me into the darkness.


	8. Chapter 8

Hello my wondrous readers!

It just so happens that this is my favorite chapter so far, and I apologize it took so long to post especially with how short it is. Anyway, I wanted to give a special thanks to everyone who reviewed; Cipher-of-Will, Xian Ke, themusicalmuffin, kingdomheartslover13, and fallen angels321. Thanks to all of my loyal readers, and I hope every single one of you enjoys this chapter as well as the rest of my story!

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Chapter 8

The cool night air struck me like a brick wall to the face as the two of us entered Midgar. It seemed as though Twilight Town and Midgar were synced as far as night and day were concerned.

This wouldn't have been such a big deal if it wasn't for the fact that it was easily around fifteen degrees out. Not that it bothered me much, but the little guy behind me was practically shaking out of his skin, and the sound of his teeth chattering was deafening.

"You cold?" I asked with an idiotic smirk.

Roxas gave me a glare that just about froze the air around me. It was even enough to rival one of Saix's famous soul-crushing looks.

"W-W-W-W-What d-d-d-do y-you th-th-th-think?" he forced through pale blue lips.

"Oh, well then if you're not cold I won't offer you my coat." I shrugged, still wearing that stupid grin, then turned and started walking again.

3…2…1…

"Axel, wait!" I turned gracefully on my heel just in time to meet Roxas practically sprinting up behind me. Despite his shivering, he gave a small pout as he stubbornly looked away. "C-C-Could I b-b-b-b-borrow your c-c-coat?"

Now how could I refuse something so adorable? I mussed his fluffy yellow spikes, and stripped out of my coat. He blinked a bit in confusion as I tossed it to him. "What?"

"Aren't you cold?" he asked, slipping on the much larger coat.

"No. Why?"

"You're not wearing a shirt."

Unbelieving, I glanced down to find my exposed, slightly tanned chest. "Hm, so I am. Well, the cold doesn't bother me. You can go ahead and wear that for now, but I'll probably need it back before we meet up with Cloud. Can't have 'im thinkin we're a couple of nut jobs, now can we?"

"What do you mean 'we'?" Roxas sniggered.

I gave another smirk and once again turned and began walking down the darkened streets. But when something rubbed up against my waist, I couldn't help but jump slightly at the unexpected sensation. When I glanced down, my amused smirk changed to a warm smile. Roxas had suddenly decided he wanted to become attached at the hip, leaving absolutely no space between the two of us as we walked side by side to the decaying church Cloud called his home. But, hey, I wasn't complaining.

(Roxas POV)

I knew walking so close to Axel would undoubtedly give him the wrong idea, but I didn't care. Even with that extra layer, I was FREEZING! Besides...it was kind of...nice...being so close to the redhead, especially while he's not wearing a shirt.

Suddenly, it wasn't so cold anymore. I could feel a familiar heat start to rise in a rather uncomfortable place as I tried not to imagine Axel's toned and sexy body naked and pressed against mine. The thought was littrealy making me drool.

_NO, NO, NO! Pervy thoughts GET OUT OF MY HEAD! _I shook my head vigorously like the action would somehow act as an etch-e-sketch and erase the image plastered in my brain.

"You okay?" I glanced up to see Axel arching a curious yet suspicious eyebrow. My cheeks were on fire, and I had to look away from fear of passing out from pure embarrassment.

"Uh, y-yeah," I stuttered nervously, then sighed in pure relief as the familiar sight of the church came into veiw, "Hey, look! There it is. Uh, m-maybe you should, um, take your coat back now." I didn't even give him a chance to protest as I slipped off his coat and handed it to him.

He gave me another questioning look, then shrugged it off, probably thinking I was going crazy from the geostigma. I wouldn't put it past him, I had already been possesd earlier from what he told me. Though I don't remember a thing from that little event.

We weren't even able to make it a hundred yards from the structure before the enormous door flung open, and a familiar blonde man stepped into view. He wasted no time rushing to his shiny, jet black motorcycle parked out front, mounting it, and practically tearing down the street. The two of us stood there in silence for a moment, watching the cloud of dust that had once been the older blonde.

"Looks like someone's in a hurry," Axel mummbled, then motioned for me to follow as he started walking once again, "Come on. Let's go see if this guy has anything worth while in that chest of his."

"Wait a minute!" I took firm hold of the redheads sleeve, causing him to stop and turn back with a rather apathetic look on his face.

"Yes?"

I crossed my arms in a huff and gave the lanky male a scolding glare. "We can't just take his stuff, Axel, much less raide his house while he's gone."

The apathy turned to a mischievous smirk, and he ruffled my already messy hair. It always annoyed me when he did that, but I could never bring myself to reprimand the redhead. "Ah, come on, Roxy. You know as well as I do I'm not a thief. We're not gonna take his stuff, he's gonna loan it to us. He just doesn't know it yet." With that, he turned back and continued along his way, leaving me standing there, speechless.

Finally, I snapped out of my trance and jogged after him, shouting, "Axel, you dirty thief! Get back here!" After a minute, he stopped outside the doors of the building and waited for me to catch up, still wearing his deviant little smirk. I held my hands on my knees and tried desperately to catch my breath. Curse that Axel and his long legs. "You're...a horrible...person...ya know that?" I panted.

"Yeah, but you love me anyway. Now come on, before someone sees us."

I growled to myself and grudgingly followed after as he pushed the large doors open. It was basically the exact same as when I had last seen it, though there was one slight difference. Sitting atop the silver chest was a bandage with a black stain running all the way down the center.

_Wait. No. It couldn't be, could it? Does he..._

"What's this thing?" Axel asked, curiously picking it up and successfully cutting off my train of thought, "It looks like a bandage, but what's this black stuff? That's pretty nasty."

I turned my gaze to the floor and walked over to the garden. "I-I don't know...but I don't think it really matters. Why exactly did you want to come in here again?" I was hoping he wouldn't figure out I was trying to change the subject and turn his attention away from the bandage.

Thankfully, he took the bait and set it back onto the chest. "Oh yeah, we were gonna see if this guy had anything that might give us some info on geostigma. All I found in his chest though was a bunch a colorful glowing balls. You find anything?"

"Nuh uh," I shook my head, "What do we do now; wait for him to come back?" Truthfully, I was hoping he'd say yes. The mark on my chest was starting to hurt again, and I really wanted to just sit down for a few minutes.

"No way. We came here to get some info, and dammit, that's what we're gonna do! Come on, Roxy! There's gotta be someone in this city who knows somethin."

I would have protested, but he sounded so pumped and ready for action; I couldn't just rip him out of that state of mind, that would just be cruel. "Alright Axel, lead the way." He all too willingly obliged, and practically cantered out the door like some show horse, leaving me to trail behind.

oOxoxOo

By the time an hour went by, I was freezing, in pain, and exhausted beyond belief. Screw Axel's mood, I wanted to go home!

"Axel," I whimpered, meaning to yell at him.

"Yeah?"

"Let's go home."

The lanky redhead stopped and turned to face me. I gave him my best pitiful puppy dog eyes and shivered slightly just to prove my point. There was no way he'd be able to say no to this.

His mood instantly dropped, and he looked as though he was debating on whether or not to give up his search and turn for home. "Alright," he finally huffed, defeated, "You look like you're gonna pass out any minute. What kinda boyfriend would I be if I forced you to stay out in the cold?" I smiled cheerfully and practically glomped the older male, and not just because I was freezing and he was basically a walking furnace. He chuckled and pressed his warm lips to my forehead. "We'll just come back tomorrow when it's a bit warmer and we're less tired."

Suddenly, a gunshot rang through the quiet streets, then another. Axel tightened his grip around me protectively, and I instinctively clung to him. "What was that?" I asked after the shooting stopped.

Axel's emerald eyes were hard and focused as they darted around the darkness. "I guess this place isn't exactly as friendly as I first thought," he grumbled, "Come on, let's get out of here."

"Aw, you're leaving? But the party hasn't even started yet!"

We both jumped at the sound of the unfamiliar voice and whipped around to see a young, silver haired male perched on the roof of one of the buildings. His short, almost shoulder length hair glistened in the dim white light of the moon, and his strange, animalistic aquamarine eyes seemed to glow as they stared down at us. He was clad from head to toe in a skin tight leather outfit, and had a sword attached to his hip with two pieces of fabric protruding from the hilt. With a rather feline sense of grace, he leapt from the roof and landed a few feet away, grinning as if we amused him somehow.

Axel tensed and subtly positioned himself so he was slightly shielding me. The silverette seemed to notice this, and only made his smirk all the more malevolent as he began stalking toward us like some sort of large cat.

"It's rude to leave a party before the guest of honor has arrived," the stranger purred, "We even went through the trouble of giving you a special invitation."

"Who the HELL are YOU!" Axel snarled, stopping the strange man in his tracks as he summoned his chakrams in a burst of fire. I followed suit, unsheathing my keyblade from the light and positioning it defensively.

He stared at us for a moment, then chuckled heartedly. "I don't owe an explanation to the likes of **you**. All I want is him." I swallowed hard he pointed directly at me, and couldn't help myself as my feet took a step back of their own accord.

"Why do you need me?" I growled, thankfully gaining some of my confidence back.

"Because, little brother, you're are one of the chosen few hand picked by Mother herself. Without you, the reunion cannot proceed."

I didn't understand a single word coming out of that guy's mouth. It was like he was trying to speak to me, I know it! But everything he said became complete gibberish in my head. This guy was a total fruit loop; completely psycho.

"Look, I don't know who you are, and I'm sure as hell not going with you to any 'reunion', so you can forget it."

"Yeah buddy," Axel chimed in, "If you think you're takin Roxas, you got another thing comin. No one touches him while I'm around, and anyone who has ain't around to tell about it. Hell will freeze over before I let someone like 'you' take him from me."

Without a second thought, Axel flung his weapons at the crazed silverette, who didn't even have time to comprehend the motion. The attack was dead on, and was certain to hit. Suddenly, right as the steel spiked weapons were about to make contact, the man leapt into the air, successfully dodging the attack. In the blink of an eye, he was on top of us. I couldn't even see as he drew his sword and slashed an enormous gash clean through my chest and part of my waist. Almost instantly, my body went completely numb, and I could feel it collapse beneath me as the world went dark.

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As always, I love you all, and PLEASE REVIEW!


	9. Chapter 9

Hello my amazing reviewers; I just wanted to say thanks to those of you that did: kingdomheartslover13, kimberly kim, Rocking Phillip, , ClEvEr2014, Cipher-of-Will, and themusicalmuffin. Thanks guys! Hope you like the chapter XD!

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Chapter 9

(Axel POV)

As I watched the shining steel of the blade fall on my precious Roxas, my entire world crumbled around me.

"ROXAS!"

Blood sprayed from the wound in torrents, instantly staining the concrete beneath him a deep crimson as he collapsed to his knees. I rushed to him as fast as my legs could carry me, but my attempts were thwarted long before I took a single step. The strange feline-esc, silverette had already beaten me to the punch, grabbing Roxas and practically vanishing into thin air.

All I could manage for the moment was to stop and try to comprehend what had just happened. The whole thing was just so fast, my mind was still trying to process the information. Finally, it all clicked.

I had failed Roxas.

I let that whack job come and take him, right after I told both him as well as myself that I'd protect him with my life if necessary. Now, I had just witnessed as, right before my eyes, he was sliced open with a sword and stolen by some insane psychopath.

I could feel the flames leaking through my tightly clenched fists, and low growls were the only sound that filled the quiet streets. Let's just hope that the next person I saw was that damn silverette, cause I was ready to roast the very next living thing that crossed my path.

"Dammit, dammit, DAMMIT! I'm such an IDIOT! How could I let someone like _that _get the better of me!" Without thinking I thrust my fist against a brick wall, only to hear a loud crack at the sound of the bones breaking. "Mother Fucking SHIT!" I cried, cradling my shattered hand. God, I am such an idiot. _Of course _breaking my hand was going to help me find Roxas.

Controlling my anger to the best of my abilities, I inhaled deeply and exhaled the same. Despite my incredible urge to rush after that bastard, I had to admit to myself that I didn't even know where this guy was let alone how I was going to manage to get Roxas back from him. That bastard was practically superhuman with how easily he dodged my chakrams, and with myself and Roxas already injured I would be putting a lot on the line. I needed help, preferably someone with information on the people in this world.

Cradling my wounded hand against my chest, I used my other to open a portal back to the World That Never Was. "Damn it. That fucking brat won't get away with taking Roxas. And he can be sure I'll throw in a little extra for making me break my hand," I growled under my breath to no one in particular as I stormed through the passageway. He was going to pay dearly.

(Roxas POV)

My head was swimming. Everything was dark, but after a brief moment I realized it was because my eyes were closed. My chest was killing me. It burned fiercly, and with every breath the pain only became that much worse. I tried to move my arms to try and help the pain, but I they wouldn't budge. As a matter of fact, my entire body seemed to be restrained. I couldn't move.

I could hear voices around me. They were talking about something...some sort of plan. I couldn't hear the specifics, they were too far away.

How come I couldn't open my eyes! It was pissing me off. With every ounce of energy in my body, I forced my eyelids to open. The light flickered a few times as my body fought with me, but I finally succeeded. I was rewarded with the sight of a large white blob, that slowly developed into a mass of various colors and shapes until I could just barely make out three figures looming in the distance.

"He's waking up, Kadaj," the largest blob said excitedly. His voice was a deep baritone, and I could see why. As my vision became sharper I could see that said 'blob' was a fairly large, man clad in black leather. He was heavily muscled and had short, buzz cut silver hair. His eyes were the same terrifying aquamarine the other silverette had, and seemed to emit their own unearthly glow.

The one he'd addressed as Kadaj responded by taking a step closer to my body and gazing intently into my eyes. It was the same man that attacked me and Axel! "Why yes, Loz," he chirped, "It does appear he has. Hello again, brother." A malicious sneer spread across his feline like features as I struggled desperately to escape against whatever was binding me.

A sharp pain pierced my chest, forcing the breath to catch in my throat and sending me into a fit of violent coughs. I could hear something spill to the ground, and the scent of blood filled my senses.

"Yes, yes, struggle all you want. You won't be able to escape," Kadaj giggled. He turned sharply on his heel before sauntering back to the other two silverettes. "We plan to keep you tied up 'til it's time. Until then, why don't you just sit back and enjoy the scenery."

The other two chuckled to themselves as I continued my futile escape. After a few minutes it became too much for my body, and I hung limply in my restraints. My gaze gradually lifted until I beheld my surroundings. I had to restrain a gasp of amazement. That man had actually been right about the scenery. All around us stood enormous trees that were actually emitting an eerie white glow, serving to fully illuminate the darkened forest regardless of the blackened sky. Suffice to say I was completely awe-struck.

Glancing around further, I discovered the uncomfortable support behind me was also one of these massive, glowing plants. My hands were cuffed behind me as well as my ankles, and a giant chain wrapped around my chest. The huge links bored into the wound I'd received from Kadaj, though the thing that was bothering me the most was how much my geostigma was searing my lungs.

As I gazed at the enchanting trees, a gunshot rang through the forest and in an instant, I could feel the wood splinter beside my head. I stared wide-eyed at where the bullet nearly blew my brains out, then back at the third silverette aiming for another shot.

"That's enough," Kadaj chided lightly, "You're scaring the poor child"

A devilish smirk spread across the third leather-clad silverette's face, as he slowly lowered his weapon. "He was spacing out. I just figured I should bring him back to reality."  
My body trembled violently, both from fear as well as the quickly increasing loss of blood. It wasn't just Kadaj, all three of them were a couple beers short of a six-pack. I needed to escape, or at least figure out why they brought me here.

"What do you want with me?" I growled as threateningly as my energy level would allow, which sadly was not a lot. The effort I was exerting was taking its toll on my body, tearing at the wound and causing it to open further.

None of the three made any attempt to answer me. They simply stared at me like a bunch of feral cats eyeing a struggling bird from across the room, flitting helplessly on the floor as it slowly bled to death. The way their eyes seemed to glow by themselves, almost like this ungodly forest, it only made me tremble in pure terror.

One of the men, the one that tried to shoot me before, he stalked toward me with the grace and finesse of a jungle cat. "We're simply awaiting his return, little brother," he answered lowly, taking my chin firmly in his hand.

These people were insane, absolutely nuts. They were going to kill me, I knew it. My mind and body were already beginning to fail me from the pain and blood loss. I wouldn't be able to escape, even if I did somehow manage to escape these chains, not like this.

Axel, where are you, I cried out mentally to my lover. Surely he'd come to rescue me, my knight in shining armour? He'd arrive any moment, making a big, flashy entrance like he always does, then he'd roast these sons of bitches alive, won't he? I could only hope. In the meantime I had to keep up a brave front, no matter how difficult it may seem.

"Heh, look at 'im," the larger one, Loz I think his name was, chortled in amusement, "he looks like he's gonna pass out any second, doesn't he, Kadaj? Maybe we should let him out to play before he goes nighty night?"  
The edges of Kadaj's lips slowly pulled into a devilish, toothy grin; inhuman eyes narrowing slightly. "That sounds like a wonderful idea, Loz," the silverette purred, never taking his eyes off me for an instant. "Yazoo, undo the restraints. It must be awfully uncomfortable being bound with those heavy chains, isn't it, little brother?"

Yazoo complied with his leader's command, releasing the lock on the chains causing my body to crash to the cold, hard earth beneath me. My arm flew to my chest as violent coughing spasms racked my body. Those chains had been practically crushing the upper half of my body, and the instant release of pressure was too much of a shock to my system. Blood spilt from my wounds in torrents, dripping in a steady rhythm into the dirt, staining it a deep crimson.

Slightly able to regain my bearings, I pulled my gaze upward to find Kadaj looming over my body, staring at me intently as if waiting for me to do some sort of trick for his amusement. It was obvious he wanted me to do something, but exactly as to what that 'something' was, I had no idea.

"I'm...not sure...what you want me to do," I panted weakly, trying to choke back both the fear and blood pooling in the back of my throat.

"Don't worry, brother," Kadaj said lightly, his smile changing to something slightly less malicious, yet still holding that same threatening air about it. "Just relax. Separate yourself from the light and give yourself to the dark power within you, just as before."

I gasped, pulling myself back until my body was pinned back against the large tree and staring at that horrid creature with wide, fearful eyes. They were the ones that possessed me! I don't know how or why they wanted control over my body, all I knew was that I could absolutely not, under any circumstances, allow myself to pass out. If I did, I was certain they'd take control of my body once again. That's why they had wounded me, to force me into unconsciousness with the pain and loss of blood. That was the only explanation.

However, even if I did somehow manage to keep myself from slipping into the darkness for a short time, there was no stopping them from getting what they wanted in the end. I could only hope and pray that Axel would come soon, and save me from myself before it was too late.

Axel, where are you?

oOxoxOo

"Alright, explain to me one more time how exactly you broke your hand."  
I growled impatiently under my breath, fidgeting as the little emo bound my wounded hand. "I told you already, now can you just focus on the more important matter? Roxas was kidnapped! I need you to use that brain of yours and help me figure out where the fuck they coulda taken him!" I exclaimed, "Can't you tell me something, anything about this place? Maybe about the people, o-or some sorta 'reunion' or something?"

Zexion pondered the question for a moment, only serving to shorten my already lit fuse. I wanted answers and I wanted them now, damn it! He laid his finger against his chin and gazed blankly at the ground as he searched the enormous encyclopedia collection that was his mind.

"I'm sorry, Axel," he responded after a minute or so, "The only bit of information I'd have for you is a small list of the citizens that escaped that world after it was taken by the darkness nearly a year ago. It really isn't that much."

"I DON'T CARE!" I shouted, grabbing the smaller man by the front of his coat rather violently. "JUST TELL ME! I'm desperate here!"

Not at all phased by my over reaction, Zexion gently removed my have from his coat, brushed himself off a little, then gave me an unamused look. "Axel, if you want my help...you're going to have to calm down."  
We stared at each other for a moment, overly stressed emerald eyes meeting apathetic violet. Finally, I obediently plopped into a chair and stared at the floor like a kicked puppy. It was rarely ever that I allowed myself to willingly do as I told, but like I said earlier, I was desperate. I just wanted my little Roxas back.

"Thank you," the younger male said softly, "Now, I don't have that much information on these people, but I shall tell you everything I know about them. There were actually quite a few people that escaped the heartless attack, more so than we see in most worlds. Their names are Yuffie, Tifa, Cid and Aerith. Now these are the individuals I have absolutely no data on whatsoever, other than they were all a part of the Hollow Bastion Restoration Committee, but I don't think that will do you any good. There are two others, however, that I do know a bit more about, as far as who they are; a man named Cloud, and another named Sephiroth, though that one is a bit of an enigma. Both of whom were seen in the Olympus Coliseum as well as Hollow Bastion."

None of the names in the first list even hinted at anything of importance, but one in particular did strike my memory like a baseball bat to the head.

"What about that 'Cloud' guy? What can you tell me about him?" Sure I'd met the man before, but that doesn't mean I knew anything about him. It was worth a shot seeing if Zexion knew anything that might give me an opinion at least of whose side he's on.

"He's a warrior," Zexion stated matter-of-factly, "I can tell you that much. We believe he was also a part of the restoration committee, but we're not entirely positive. We're also sure, according to what we've gathered, that he and Sephiroth share some sort of bloody past together. But as I said, Axel, we don't posses that much knowledge of these people."

Facepalming, I slumped limply in my chair. None of this was helpful! Now what was I going to do to get Roxas? I didn't even know where the bastard took him!  
"Well, wait Zexion," I sighed, pulling whatever remained of my hope from the depths of my being back to the surface, "What about Sepiroth? Is there anything you can tell me about him?" I figured it was at worth it to ask. Zexion did say he and Cloud shared sort of history. Hell, maybe this Sephiroth dude had something to do with all this.

"Again, my apologies, Axel. I know nothing of Sephiroth. He's a phantom to say the least. However, Demyx may know something about him. He was, after all, sent on regular missions to Hollow Bastion as well as the Coliseum."

"Demyx? Seriously? You've gotta be kidding me. I've never asked Demyx for anything that I actually planned to apply to real life. He's not exactly the most reliable person when it comes to giving out information."

The little emo sighed heavily and stood from his chair with his first aid kit. "Come now, Axel. You should at least give him some credit," he said as he strolled casually over to the door, "He's smarter than you think. Why do you think the superior keeps him around?"

"Cause he keeps the castle clean?" I shrugged, trotting out the door after him. Another sigh filled the hallways as Zexion shook his head dismissively. A sly smirk crossed my face as another thought crossed my mind. "And the fact that if he were gone you'd have no one to play the bouncy bed game with."

The schemer's face instantly lit up like a bulb on a Christmas tree. He quickly opened a portal and darted through, calling behind him, "You're welcome for the information." I could swear I heard him mutter something under his breath, but seeing as I didn't know what a 'vacuous troglodyte' was, I didn't give it much thought. I could only laugh at the look on his face when I'd said that. Priceless.

As I stepped through the portal I found myself in Demyx's room. I glanced around until the large lump on the bed caught my attention. It was snoring rather loudly, so I could only assume it was the 'lump' I was looking for. Despite the fact I was in kind of a hurry, this was too good of an opportunity to waste. With the snap of the fingers, a small flame sparked on the edge of his pillow. It slowly grew, crawling up to his nose where the heat and smoke made it twitch. Suddenly, the sandy blonde leaped out of his bed and launched a full-scale blast of water at his pillow, completely drenching it.

I allowed a victory smirk to grace my features as Demyx stood beside me, panting like a dog and staring wide-eyed at his bed. He turned his attention to me, still shaking. "What the hell do you think you're doing!" he exclaimed, throwing his hands into the air. His voice was really high pitched as he struggled to maintain his equilibrium. I don't care who you are, that was fucking hilarious.

Anyway, getting back to more pressing issues. I allowed the smirk to fade into seriousness, and asked very lowly, "Dem, do you know a guy named Sephiroth?"

Pale, sea green eyes instantly widened in heart wrenching fear, and the scrawny blonde leapt back nearly five feet. "S-S-Sephiroth!" he stammered entirely horror stricken. I wasn't expecting such an intense reaction. I could literally see the kid shaking from here. This definitely wasn't going to be anything good. Damn, I thought it was going to at least be a little easy, but fate just loves to screw with me, doesn't it?

"Demyx, calm down," I said softly, laying a soothing hand on his trembling shoulder. "Now who exactly is this guy, and what did he do to you to rile you up so badly?"

The shaky nocturne could only shake his head. He swallowed hard as his eyes darted frantically around the room. It was as if Sephiroth was gonna jump out from under the bed and attack him. "H-H-He's a monster!" he finally managed to choke out, "I-I was on a mission, i-in the Underworld, you know, the place beneath the coliseum? A-Anyway, I was there and I saw him. He had this long, silver hair, and carried this really REALLY long sword. And his eyes, they were like some sort of animal's! They were like this glowing bluish-green, and the pupils were like these slits, like some sort of devil cat!"  
"Woah, wait a sec. What about his eyes?"

Demyx blinked a couple times, obviously a little disoriented before tilting his head slightly to the side. "They were all glowy, and this weird sort of aquamarine type color. Definitely not human at all."  
"Hm, that's what I thought you said."

The color that Demyx described, it sounded exactly like the color Roxas' turned back in Twilight Town. Maybe Sephiroth really did have something to do with what happened to Roxas.

"Keep going, Dem," I pressed, "What happened after that?"

"Um, w-well…" he stuttered again, trying to remember where he'd left off in the story. "Oh yeah, when I saw him there I figured he might be able to help with my mission. So, bein' the polite guy I am, I wandered over and introduced myself. Instead of tellin' me back, he just asked me where this 'Cloud' guy was, and when I didn't know he said, 'Then you have no use to me,' then tried to KILL me! Damn, I got outta there faster than you could even imagine. It was only after I was sent back there that I learned his name. I swear, that man's a maniac!"

Well, now it all made sense why the poor kid reacted how he did when I mentioned the guy's name, but what does any of that have to do with Roxas? It didn't make any sense.

"Do you have any idea where Sephiroth is now?" I interrogated, trying to pull some piece of information I could from the nocturne, "Maybe like his hideout or something?"

"Oh, Sephiroth's dead," the blonde stated matter-of-factly.

"WHAT!"

"Yeah, that Cloud guy toasted him. I know he's gone, but I still get all paranoid when anyone says his name. Mental scars, they don't go away."

I could feel flames leaking through my painfully clenched fists. I got all this way, came this close, all just to end up being sent on a wild goose chase?

The palm of my hand made contact with my face, leaving a nice imprint of my hand plastered on my forehead. Just then, sudden realization struck me like a ton of bricks. Possession, ghosts, why didn't I see it before! Sephiroth's dead, he wants revenge on Cloud for killing him. What better way to do that than controlling a kid that looks EXACTLY like the guy that killed him. Of course!

Confidence rising and hope renewed, I took the shaky teen's hand and opened a portal. His eyes instantly doubled in size and he struggled against my grip as I yanked him along behind me.

"Hey, what're you doing! Let me go!" he howled like an angry cat.

"Shut up, Dem. You're comin' with me whether you want to or not."

The blonde gave up the fight and instead began to whimper pitifully. I growled under my breath and turned back to find him gazing at me with huge, pleading eyes. "You know that's not gonna work," I sighed, "Besides, why are you putting up a fight, you don't even know where we're going?"

"Cause anytime someone pulls me into a portal I always end up having to do work that usually ends in tears and a nice, big bruise somewhere on my person. Not to mention the thought of work is enough to make me cry in and of itself," he whined painfully. I knew the guy was lazy, but come on.

"We're going back to see Zexion, Dem. So quit your whining. I just need you to come so you can be a part of things." Okay, that wasn't totally a lie, but I really did need him to come along. I needed all the help I could get when I ran into that stupid silver haired freak again.

"O-Oh, never mind then," he chuckled with an idiotic smirk. I could only shake my head and continue through to Zexion's room.

(Roxas POV)

Inhaling another shaky breath, and exhaling the same, I gingerly wrapped my arms tighter around my chest as not to further aggravate the already excruciating pain flaring up in my chest. I just wanted this all to end, but I couldn't give in. I wasn't anywhere near allowing those monsters win.

My chest felt like someone was inside of my lungs, tearing at them with a few dozen of Axel's chakrams. The geostigma was a hundred times worse than it was before, and that huge gash wasn't making things any better. It wasn't going to be much longer now. The world around me had become one giant blur, and I could feel my eyelids begin to flutter as I struggled helplessly to keep myself awake.

Finally, after what seemed to be an eternity, I couldn't take it any longer. I gave into the sweet siren call of the darkness, allowing it to take me somewhere better than here, away from the pain. Axel would forgive me for my weakness, I was just sorry I couldn't last a little longer.

(Third POV)

The three remnants held their breath as they anxiously watched the young keybearer finally slip into unconsciousness.

"Is he gonna be here soon, Kadaj?" Loz asked eagerly, yet something in his eyes shown a slight hint of apprehension and almost fear.

Kadaj laughed quietly under his breath at this. "Patience, Loz," he purred in response. The larger remnant only whined and continued to watch with what little patience he had remaining, earning him a dismissive head shake from Yazoo.

Just then, all three bristled as a sudden burst of dark power charged the air. It was eminating from Roxas' unconscious form. Each silverette was striken with a soul jerking fear, yet on the outside they only showed complete ecstasy. Their one and only purpose was about to be fulfilled.

Roxas' once lifeless fingers suddenly began to twitch as the malevolent energy flooded his veins. He groaned and cried out, fighting with everything he had against the offending intruder for rights over his own body. He was fighting a losing battle. The battle quickly ended, but not in the blonde's favor. A new owner now possessed the Key of Destiny, and it was only too obvious by the animalistic colour of his now open aquamarine eyes.

Kadaj, Loz and Yazoo each fell to one knee, bowing their heads respectively as Roxas stood. The wound marring the young boy's chest gradually began to fill in with renewed flesh and blood. A sickly amused toothy grin slowly stretched across his now menacing features as he gazed at the three remnants kneeling before him.

After a moment, Kadaj lifted his head until his gaze locked with that of his superior. The silverette mirrored the other's facial expression perfectly, and he chuckled lightly.

"Welcome back, Sephiroth."

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**FINALLY! **my work here is done

I hope you realize how long it took me to write this chapter, especially with all the school work I've been piled with. This was not easy to write, but alas, now you have been introduced to the newly arisen Sephiroth.

What plans does Sephiroth have in store for our little Roxy? Why is he using his body? What about Axel? Will he ever find Roxas, and even if he does how will he get him back from that bastard? All questions that shall be answered in due time. But if you want me to keep going, I'm gonna need a few reviews first. So be sure to make that a priority once you finish the chapter.

Can't wait to hear from ya'll. **REVIEW**


	10. Chapter 10

Hey people of fanfiction, sorry it's taken me so long to update. Man, it seems like forever! Well don't worry, cause I'm here with another update! And I also wanted to give an amazing thanks to everyone who reviewed the last chapter: xXSweet BlasphemyXx, Kakita101, P5hng-Me-A'Wy, themusicalmuffin, kingdomheartslover13, kimberly kim, Rocking Phillip, and Cipher-of-Will

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(Sephiroth POV)

"Welcome back, Sephiroth," my remnant greeted. I could see the fear in his strikingly similar features, though he did well to cover it up.

"It's good to be back," I replied, testing out my new voice. Not bad. And neither was this body. Sure it wasn't anything like my old one, but I could feel power coursing through my veins, power I haven't felt in years. Curious, I held my new hand out before me and focused my energy. In a flash of dark energy, my beloved Masamune appeared before me, as sharp and deadly as the day it was forged. A pleased smile graced my features. I glanced back up, finding my subordinates still standing there. "Are you expecting something? Get going! Find mother, I'm certain your older brother knows where that fool Rufus is hiding her."

In unison, the three nodded and mounted their bikes. The roar of motorcycle engines filled the silent forest until fading far off into the horizon. Sighing softly, I turned my attention to the enormous Banora White standing behind me. With something almost like Nostalgia, I traced my hand along the glowing bark, images of the past flashing almost painfully in my head. Suddenly engulfed in fury, I wielded Masamune and sliced clean through the enormous tree, the sound echoing like thunder though the wilderness as it came crashing down.

"Infinite in mystery is the gift of the goddess. We seek it thus, and take to the sky. Ripples form on the water's surface. The wandering soul knows no rest." Another sigh escaped my lips as I weaved my fingers through my blood-streaked hair. "Loveless, Act one. How can I not remember, Genesis, after you spent so much time beating it into my head." My gaze, now cold and hard, fell back onto the fallen tree. "Did you ever receive your gift, Genesis? Are you with the Goddess now? Hm, defeated so easily, I can't believe I ever let you get to me. It doesn't matter now, though."

With a pained smile, I turned and began down the forest path, speaking softly as I went, "Even if the morrow is barren of promises, nothing shall forestall my return."

(Axel POV)

"Come on, Ax, why do I have to go! Can't you get like Xion or Lexaus or somebody who's not me! I don't wanna go!"

I sighed heavily at the annoying protests and whines coming from behind me as I dragged Demyx into Midgar. Okay, so I hadn't totally lied to the kid when I told him we were going to see Zexion. We went to his room and then we went to Midgar along _with _Zexion. Ugh, but right about now I kinda wished I had asked Xion or somebody else. The guy was giving me a headache.

"Demyx, please cease your bawling," Zexion groaned, massaging the bridge of his nose, "You're driving me insane. Don't you _want _to help Roxas? I know he'd do the same for you if you were ever caught in this situation."

The nocturne sniffled, "Yeah, I know. But, Zexy, I don't wanna fight Sephiroth again! The guy's stronger than Superior! I got away once with my head in tact, but I seriously doubt I'll be that lucky again!"

"Dem, you won't have to fight him. If anything, I'll fight him. I seriously wanna kick this guy's ass for stealing Roxas," I growled, feeling the anger bubbling over as I remembered the blade slashing Roxas open. I swear, that demon was going to pay.

Some how or another, we managed to wind up at the edge of a cliff overlooking the city, which seemed to be a million miles away. Great.

During my momentary lack of concentration, Demyx managed to slip from my grasp and sprint off amongst the rocks. Zexion sighed and proceeded to go after him, "I'll be right back. I'm certain he wont go too far."

I mimicked the schemer's un-amused sigh, and turned back to the cliff, starting a bit as I noticed a man that hadn't been there before. He was standing with his back to me beside a massive sword that had been sheathed in the ground, the blade worn and rusted with time. The guy was clad in leather, a black sweater underneath an armor chest plate. His long, spiky black hair hung far down his back, rustling slightly with a soft breeze. He was looking out over the vast nothingness toward the city, unmoving as he rested his hand atop the hilt of the sword embedded in the earth. Where the hell did this guy come from? I was just standing over there like two seconds ago.

"Um, hey," I greeted nervously. Apparently the guy hadn't noticed me standing there as he jumped at the sound of my voice. He turned back, gazing at me for a moment with familiar blue-green eyes, then grinned sweetly.

"Oh, sorry, didn't really expect to see anyone else out here," he chuckled a little in embarrassment.

The sight of those all too familiar eyes instantly put me on edge and I took a hesitant step back, keeping my glare fixated on the strange man. He seemed nice enough and his hair wasn't silver, but I didn't want to let my guard down. "Who are you?" I asked cautiously.

The man blinked slightly, then laughed again. He extended his hand in a polite gesture, still grinning. "Sorry, 'bout that. My name's Zack, Zack Fair."

"Zack, huh?" I muttered, hesitantly taking the offered hand and shaking it quickly. "Axel, commit it to memory." Okay, he wasn't so bad. Maybe everyone in this world had that eye color. It was a thought, one that I seriously doubted.

"Well, Axel, what're you doin' all the way out in the middle of nowhere? You get lost on your way to the city?"

I ran my hand through the back of my hair, turning to the ground with slight embarrassment. "You could say that. I'm lookin' for someone…well, more like a bunch of someones."

Zack chuckled again, "Well, shoot. Maybe I can help ya."

This guy was way too happy. I pulled my gaze back up to meet his, looking as serious as ever. "I'm lookin' for a kid with spiky blonde hair. It kinda defies gravity."

"Well, I know one kid that fits that description. Are you talking about Cloud?"

Wow, this Cloud guy was really well known. "Uh, no, I wasn't talking about him. But if you know where he is, that's helpful, too."

Zack's grin faded a little, and he scratched the back of his head almost nervously. "Well, he comes to visit this spot around the same time every day, but it won't be for another few hours. Sorry."

"Nah, that's fine. Another guy I'm lookin' for's got silver hair, down to his shoulders, and eyes like yours."

"Well," he laughed again, "I have another idea who you're talking about, but I doubt it's the same guy. The guy I know's way to in love with his hair to ever get it cut down to his shoulders, but if he was carrying a really long sword then I guess it has to be the same guy. You're not looking for Sephiroth, are you? 'Cause as far as I know, the guy's been dead for a while."

"Wow, you're really good at this," I smirked, "I asked for two guys and you gave me the other two I was also looking for. Well, you seem to know the guy. Do you know if he had a hideout or someplace like that? I'm really desperate here."

Zack pondered the question for a moment, "I think I have an idea. There's a forest a ways away from here over to the east. It's full of these trees called 'Banora Whites' and it's probably one of the most amazing places you'll ever see. He used to spend a lot of time there; at least, that's what Cloud told me. I hope you find who you're looking for."

At this, I allowed a small smirk to grace my features, "Thanks. And thanks for the info. I really wasn't expecting to get help way out here."

"Heh, no problem. If you see Cloud again, tell the kid I said hi, and that I really enjoy his visits."

The request caught me off guard. I thought he talked with Cloud all the time. How come he can't just tell the guy himself?

"Axel!" I glanced back to find Zexion trotting up to me, a much calmer Demyx in tow. They were both staring at me curiously. "Axel," Zexion said slowly, "Who were you talking to?"

"Oh, this guy Za-," I turned around, finding the large man had disappeared. "Where'd he go? He was standing right there."

"Uh, dude," Demyx said, placing his hand on my shoulder, "We saw you talking to a sword, there wasn't any guy there."

Okay, this was irritating. How could they not see the guy, he was as plain as day. "Okay, I think you guys need glasses or something. He just told me where to find Sephiroth's hang out. It's in this forest with these trees called 'Banora Whites'; at least, I think that's what he said. Anyway, it's east of here, so let's get movin'."

The two cast each other a confused glance and shrugged, then followed after me as I began toward the direction I was pointed earlier. Maybe luck was finally starting to shine down on me. What were the chances I'd get directions all the way out here in the middle of nowhere?

(Roxas POV)

I could feel my consciousness returning. My eyelids fluttered slightly against the weight of sleep bearing down on them. This was strange. Where was I? Everything was black as I glanced around, inky darkness everywhere I looked.

"Hello?" I called, terrified of being alone in this dark abyss. My voice seemed to echo on forever, fading off into the distance. "Hello?" I tried again, louder this time. Again, there was only the sound of my own voice.

Apprehensive, I took a small step forward, then another. Despite the darkness, I could clearly see my legs as they moved forward. It was as if my body was glowing.

"I see you're awake."

I immediately stopped at the sudden voice, glancing around rapidly for the source. Suddenly, there was another source of light beside myself. A tall man stood a few feet away. His long silver hair billowed softly with a non-existent breeze, luminous aquamarine eyes gazing at me. He wore a large coat, open in the front, exposing a bare chest crossed with leather straps.

"That's good," he spoke again, his voice gentle and smooth like silk.

"Who are you?" I asked, "And…and where are we?"

He smiled lightly and placed a gloved hand atop his chest. "My name is Sephiroth, and as for where we are, I can't answer that. However, if you come with me, I can take you back to Axel."

My non-existent heart instantly jumped at the mention of my lover. He held out his hand, offering me to take it. I saw no reason not to. This 'Sephiroth' seemed like a kind person, and he said he could take me to Axel. Without another thought, I took the man's hand in my own, and allowed him to lead me through the darkness.

(Third POV)

Fenrir roared to a halt, the engine abruptly cut off as Cloud dismounted the enormous bike. He sighed heavily, sky blue eyes drifting over to where the once mighty Buster Sword lay sheathed in the earth. A tiny almost invisible smile appeared on the blonde's face. Good, his friend's grave marker hadn't been disturbed.

He sat himself down on the cold ground, leaning against his warm bike. "Hey, Zack," he greeted the sword quietly. "Reno called the bar yesterday. I had to drive all the way down to Shinra's office, just for him to ask for my help. He wanted me to help 'rebuild Shinra'. The entire time I was there…I couldn't help but wonder if he really understood how much pain he caused everyone. He's destroyed so many countless lives…he took you from me…and now he expects me to help him. If I do something, it won't be for that monster, but…I'm worried. I think Kadaj and his gang might be trying to revive Sephiroth. … What if I can't beat him again?"

Pain filled eyes looked back to the sword expectantly, as if waiting for it to answer him. When nothing happened, Cloud slowly buried his head against his knees, his arms grasping his yellow spikes. "Zack, I don't know what to do. Please…"

Quiet sobs filled the barren wasteland as Cloud cried softly to himself. A large hand settled upon his shoulder and squeezed it gently. Zack gazed at his lover sitting beside him, hurt and sympathy filling his mako colored eyes. He leaned over, gently kissing the mess of blonde hair and whispered, "I'm sorry, Spike. I'd give anything to come back to you. I love you, Cloud."

After about an hour or so, Cloud stood from his seat on the ground and slowly mounted Fenrir. He glanced back one last time at the grave marker. "I miss you." The engine roared to life and the bike tore away, racing back to the city.

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Awesome. So I really felt like, since this was a cross-over and what not, I should honor those who have passed on. Zack, I love you ever-so-much. Genesis, even though you were a bitch to fight in the game, I still love you. And Angeal, even though you were not mentioned in this chapter, you will always be my favorite mentor. Dreams and Honor.

Well, anyway, REVIEW! The more of you that do, the faster I shall update!


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